
I 



^ff 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS 



TO THE 



BEING A HISTORY OP THE 

Gulistiuent, Organization., and first CanLp&igus 

OF THE REGIMENT OP 

UNITED STATES DRAGOONS ; 

TOGETHER WITH INCIDENTS OP A SOLDIEr's LIPE, AND SKETCHES OP 
SCENERY AND INDIAN CHARACTER. 



BY A DRAGOON. 



" Though ia old lands, beyond the heaving deep, 

♦» Are tombs wherein imperial ashes sleep ; 

" Though feudal wrecks in sdlemn grandeur rise, 

" Stirring the soul to lofty memories ; 

" Remains of long-forgotten nations rest 

" Within the charnel caverns of the west; 

" Beneath the verdure of our prairies lie 

" The mournful relics of a world gone by; 

♦* And guardian oaks, that whisper of the past, 

" On antique mounds their darksome shadows cast.' 



NEW-YORK : 
WILEY & LONG, No. 161 BROADWAY. 



1836. 



D. Panshaw, Printer. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in tLe year 1836, in thi 
Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New-Yark. 



By UAuaiot 

^ him 



TO THE 



^#^aj<g<2>miEi2^^^<i>^m> #5fif^«<giim^ 



OF THE REGIMENT OF 

UNITED STATES DRA GO O N.'S , 

The following^ Pages are iuscribed, 

A3 A FEEBLE TRIBUTE OF RESPECT AND FOND REMEMBRANCE, 

BY THEIR LATE COMPANION 

AND FELLOW-SOLDIER, 

THE AUTHOR. 



P M E F A € E * 

In preparing the following pages for the 
press, the author has culled from a large series 
of letters, those which contain information pe- 
culiarly connected with the subject under con- 
sideration, of course leaving out the greater 
portion of that kind of matter which usually 
611s up the pages of f\*iendly cori-espondence. 

Necessarily, such works must wear the ap- 
pearance of roughness, from the sometimes 
disconnected manner in which they are thrown 
together ; but this should rather be construed 
as a commendation than as a fault, because, 
oftentimes when an author would sit down to 
the task of revising such documents, for the 
purpose of weaving their contents into a pleas- 
ing narrative, they are apt to overstep the li- 
mits of their circumscribed boundary of truth, 
and soar away upon the wings of imagina- 
tion, into the boundless and inviting realms 
of fiction. 



6 PREFACE. 

Had the author been so disposed, he might 
have extended the limits of this work to the 
usual size of two octavo volumes ; but his ef- 
fort has been rather to condense than extend 
the records of the expedition, therefore, in se- 
lecting materials from a prolific correspond- 
ence, he has had to pick here and there a 
scrap, and cement them together as well as 
circumstances would admit. In regard to the 
various quotations interspersed throughout the 
work, he would merely say, that there were 
many points upon which he had neither op- 
portunity or ability to inform himself, and con- 
sequently, his only means of supplying such 
deficiencies in the connection of the work as 
the nature of the case seemed to demand, was 
to resort to the pages of those authors who, 
by their scientific researches, had been ena- 
bled to furnish him with the required material. 

At first, the manner in which to lay the in- 
cidents of the expedition before the public 
was a matter of serious consideration ; and 
the reasons which led to the adoption of the 
present form, over that of a journal or narra- 



PREFACE. 



live, was simply that the letters themselves 
would be better calculated to carry with them 
the impress of the truth, than if the story had 
been told in the smoother style of romantic nar- 
rative. A journal is too prolix, too digressive, 
too much mixed up with details containing no 
matter of interest whatever, except to the wri- 
ter himself; therefore, except in some few in- 
stances, the attempt to give the details of a 
journey in such a form has been unfortunate. 
There are many things of which he would 
speak in this preface in relation to his motives, 
both for having at all published a book, and 
also for having endeavored to compress the 
matter of which it is composed into a single 
volume. In the first place, when he left the 
army, he promised his late comrades that he 
would, as far as in him lay, advocate their 
cause, and lay some of the grievances and op- 
pressions under which they suffer before the 
public; and in the following pages he has 
occasionally touched upon this theme, and al- 
though in some instances it may be imagined 
that he has written under the influence of ex- 



PREFA1CE. 



cited feelings, yet he declares that he has writ- 
ten coolly and dispassionately, and exhibited 
the grievances of which he speaks, in by no 
means as bad a light as truth might allow. 
Had he been so disposed, he might have en- 
tered into detail of individual circumstances, 
and have related many a wrong that he has 
passed over as recorded in his private journal ; 
and on account of the personal respect that he 
bears towards those concerned, has entirely 
omitted them. He very much regrets that he 
has been unable to procure a copy of an arti- 
cle that appeared in a St. Louis paper some 
two years since, relative to the treatment of 
the dragoons by their officers, which he be- 
lieves was signed " Vindex " — which article 
caused a great excitement at Jefferson Bar- 
racks, and, upon suspicion of having written 
which, a certain dragoon was compelled to 
undergo a trial before a court-martial, but was 
acquitted for want of evidence. The article 
in question was well written, and in all re- 
spects true — and he should have incorporated 
it into the body of this work, had he been able 



PREFACE. 



to procure it, for the purpose of substantiating 
his own account. 

It will be perceived, that in the following 
pages are huddled together promiscuously, 
statistics, anecdotes, narratives, and reflec- 
tions, the one as an antidote to the other. 
The author having indulged the hope that he 
might, by interspersing through his work a 
spice of merriment, relieve it from the perhaps 
tedious monotony of its necessary details. 

The more immediate intention of the 
author was to throw together the promi- 
nent incidents of the Dragoon Campaigns, 
that each man engaged in the expedition 
might preserve the records of the scenes and 
actions connected therewith — and in after 
times, when he shall look back upon these 
scenes, that he may the more vividly bring 
back the recollection of them — and perchance 
when his infant boy shall lisp his predilection 
for a soldier's life, he may chide him to beware 
how he barters away his liberty to follow after 
the phantom of glory and renown. 

To avoid the imputation of plagiarism, the 



10 PREFACE. 

author would here take occasion to acknow- 
ledge all the different means made use of in 
the following compilation. In the first place, 
by far the greater portion of the work is the 
result of his own experience and observation 
during his term of service in the regiment of 
dragoons. The latter chapters are compiled 
from the private letters that he has constantly 
received since his return from his old compa- 
nions, and to bring these letters more effec- 
tually into requisition, he has had recourse to 
the journal of Lieutenant Wheelock of dra- 
goons, which being an official document, could 
be relied on as a correct detail of the circum- 
stances attending the journey from Fort Gib- 
son to the mountains. To the journal of the 
expedition performed in the years 1819-20, 
by the party under command of Major Long, 
the author of these pages has also had re- 
course — all the other extracts, and, indeed, 
these now referred to, are acknowledged in 
the body of the work, or in the notes prefixed 
thereto. 

After the works that have already appeared, 



PREFACE. II 

treating of the vaunted regions of the far west^ 
the author of these pages could hope to add 
nothing to a description that has luckily fallen 
into abler hands ; therefore, independent of the 
immediate connection of his narrative, he has 
attempted but little to picture those scenes 
where nature has so richly displayed her pow- 
ers of creation, and upon which fruitful theme 
Irving, Cooper, Paulding, Hoffman, and a host 
of other able and distinguished writers, have 
expatiated in glowing terms. 

He has therefore taken, as the ground-work 
of his book, the incidents peculiarly connected 
with the formation, organization, and subse- 
quent movements of the regiment of United 
States dragoons — a regiment enlisted under 
peculiar circumstances, and for special pur- 
poses, having enrolled in its ranks a band of 
young men, which, taken as a body, are an 
honor to their country, and an ornament to 
the army establishment. 

To the members of the regiment — to the 
army generally — and to the friends and rela- 
tives of the dragoons, the details of the fol- 



12 PREFACE. 

lowing pages may afford some matter of inte- 
rest. Therefore, in case his book should 
fail to find readers among the public gene- 
rally, he confidently hopes that it will not be 
neglected by those who should feel an interest 
in its welfare. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 



LETTER I. 



Enlistment— Commencement of Journey from Geneva— Arrival 
at BuiFalo. 

Buffalo, August 9m, 1833. 
My dear Sir, 

I may appear impatient to seize upon the kind offer 
of your friendship, in having thus soon embraced the 
privilege it affords me : I pray you to attribute it to 
my eagerness to commence a correspondence whic h 
I am well assured, will prove a source of pleasure and 
gratification to me ; and, as I would fain believe, may 
in some measure be interesting to yourself, inasmuch 
as my letters will treat of subjects, as I anticipate, of a 
novel if not of a romantic character. As I am no 
stranger to the able productions of your pen, I rely 
upon being often cheered during my journeyings by 
its agreeable delineations. For some time yet you may 
not expect in my homely communications much mat- 
ter of interest above the ordinary occurrences inci- 
dental to a long journey ; but meanwhile, unwilling to 
lose the benefit of your answers, I will from time to 
time dedicate to you an epistle. 

But to begin my news. At Geneva, immediately 
upon my arrival, I met with Lieut. B. and made 
known to him that I was now ready to enter upon the 
line of life for which you know I evinced an early 

2 



14 DRAGOOIT CAMPAICKS, 

predilection. He told me that he intended setting for- 
ward upon his journey the next mornino^^ and ac- 
cordingly that all things necessary must immediately 
be arranged. The ceremony of enlistment was but a 
momentary affair; that fi^nished^ 1 was what I had 
panted to be ever since I knew the meaning of the 
word — a soldier. Two or three flying visits occupied 
my time till evening, when we commenced the busi- 
ness of packing up. You cannot well imagine my 
eagerness to proceed : the Lieutenant often laughs at 
me for being in such haste to arrive at Head (Quarters, 
but every thing that savors of military life has an 
indescribable charm for me, and I am sure that I 
shall never regret my course, your prophecy to the 
contrary notwithstanding. However, should I be 
disappointed, I can only blame my destiny ; for al- 
though I am no Phrenologist, yet, if there is a word 
of truth in the doctrine, I have the bumps of a roving: 
disposition most strongly developed. Joking aside^ 
the prospect is delightful, whatever the reality may 
prove. The wild regions of the West, prairies, In- 
dians, are all objects of intense interest to my romiantic 
imagination, and should I chance to be spared to 
return again, after my campaigns, to the more tame 
regions of the East, I shall no doubt be wiser, and 
perhaps more willing to settle down than at present. 
Having so frequently traveled between your metro- 
polis and this city of the west, and every object being 
so familiar as well to yourself as to me, it would be 
but taking up a trite theme were I to enter into any 
detail of my route thus far ; but, as from this place 
forward every thing will wear the aspect of novelty^ 
I imagine that I shall not be deficient in materials 
to work upon for the future. We have taken passage 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 15 

to Cleveland, and in all probability will a^ain set 
forward to-morrow. Our point of destination is Jef- 
ferson Barracks, but Lieutenant B. I^ieing as ignorant 
of the best and most direct route as I am myself, and 
as but little regaixi to truth is to be paid to the infor- 
'2 nation one may chance to get piecemeal from agents 
and contractors, (who, of course, all recommend the 
way whereby they themselves may be most benefited,) 
we shall proceed according to our own judgment 

The troop to which Lieutenant B. is attached, and 
•to which he promises I shall be also, are on their route 
towards Head Quarters, having left Madison Bar- 
racks (the station on Lake Ontario, at Sackett's Har- 
bor) last Wednesday ; and as they therefore have 
three days advance of us, we shall hardly expect to 
overtake them on the road, i anticipate much plea- 
sure from being attached to this troop. They are 
all "Yorkers," that is, from the western portion of our 
state, and therefore I shall not need to undergo any 
great change to become at once initiated. The 
Oaptain, too, is said to be pai excellent man as well 
as a superior officer ; so, all things considered, I shall 
no doubt fall into good hands. I assure you that I 
feel the utmost anxiety to join them ; indeed I have 
so precipitately jumped into this scheme, that I have 
scarce made an inquiry in relation to it, either as to 
the exact object of the regiment or the duty upon 
which it will be employ-ed. It was enough for me 
that a regiment was to be organized to "scour the 
prairies of the region beyond the waters of the Mis- 
sissippi." That announcement carried conviction 
with it ; and I am the victim of its influence, lead to 
what it may. In my next you shall have some of 
my future gleanings. As I shall be continually on 



16 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

the move, 1 will not request an answer to be directed 
to me on the route ; therefore please superscribe your 
letters, "Jefferson Barracks." 

Yours, (fee. 



LETTER II. 



Journey continued from Buffalo to Steuben ville, on the 
Ohio River. 

1 Steubenville, Ohio, August, 1833. 
Dear Sir, 

" Thank Heaven!" was the hearty ejaculation that I 

uttered upon seating myself in the parlor of the 

principal inn of this smoky town ; and never was 

weary traveler more thankful for a moment's rest. 

It would be asking too much, to request you even to 

imagine so bad a road as that over which, for the last 

two days and nights, we have been traveling. But 

not to anticipate, I will return to the period of our 

leaving Buffalo. The morning was delightful, and 

the steamboat left the wharf heavily laden with freight, 

independent of two hundred passengers, including 

all sorts. After a pleasant sail of about two hours, a 

squall came on, which was so violent as to cause 

great destruction among the movables, and not less 

fear and uneasiness among the passengers. It continued 

raining violently throughout the whole afternoon and 

night, during which time we were tossed and buffeted 

about laost unmercifully by the waves. At length morn- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. If 

^nir appuared, but brought with it scarce a brighter 
prospect. The wind was still very high, although the 
rain had ceased. W^ soon came in sight of Erie, 
but found it impossible to land there, on account of 
the high sea ; however, during the afternoon, after a 
great deal of difficulty, we came to alongside the 
wharf at Ashtabula. Unwilling to proceed any fur- 
ther by the boat, we ordered our luggage to be carried 
on shore, and determined to make the best of our way 
across the country to the Ohio river. Our better 
genius seemed to have directed us to this place, for a 
mail-coach was to be in readiness early the next 
morning to proceed directly on this route. A good 
night's rest and a hearty breakfast brought us again 
into traveling condition, and soon after daybreak we 
took the undisputed possession of the inside of the 
coach. The driver, with a loud crack of his whip, 
started off at a furious rate ; and we seemed acci- 
dentally to have hit upon the very route of all others 
that we should rather have chosen. During the first 
twenty miles of our ride the road proved as level and 
smooth as one could wish, but afterwards commenced 
a series of hills and hollows, occasionally varied by a 
delightful strip of corduroy, as you may recollect a 
species of causeway is fancifully termed, which is 
constructed of logs closely placed together across the 
road, where otherwise there might be no possible 
way of making a substantial foundation, the nature 
of the soil being loose and springy. This species of 
turnpike is by. far the most intolerable that I yet ex- 
perienced. In many places the logs were decayed, 
and the consequence was a prov^oking succession of 
ups and downs, almost jolting us to death, and pitch- 
ing us from one side of the coach to the other with an 



18 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

uninterrupted regularity. Owing to the sterility of 
the soil and the broken and hilly nature of the country, 
this portion of the state is but thinly populated ; and 
as nothing of interest occurred or presented itself 
upon the route to divert the attention, I assure you 
that we were right glad to arrive at the end of a jour- 
ney the most uncomfortable that can be well con- 
ceived. We passed through the town of Warren on 
the evening of the second day's ride, and this morning 
came in sight of the waters of the Ohio at Wellsville, 
where we arrived about sunrise. We were surprised 
to find the river, which at this place is quite narrow, 
wrapt in a thick mantle of cloud, which, as the sun 
arose, gradually disappeared. This phenomenon, we 
were informed, is not uncommon on these western 
waters. We had hoped to be able to take the steam 
boat from Wellsville, but, owing to the unusually 
low state of the water, boats could not proceed above 
Steubenville, for which place we started, after about 
three hours respite and a hearty meal. 

What a contrast this place presents to the villages in 
the western region of our own state ! There, every 
thing looks bright and new ; here, a thick coat of black 
covers the whole town, and gives to every thing an 
appearance of gloom and wretchedness. This is 
caused by the atmosphere's being filled with dense 
clouds of coal smoke which issues from the chimneys 
of the various manufactories, all of which burn the 
Pittsburgh stone-coal. We called for rain-water to 
wash in, and that which was brought us looked more 
like dye stuff than any thing else to which I can com- 
pare it. This however is a town of growing impor- 
tance and considerable size. The supper-bell is 
ringing ; I will write from the Barracks immediately 
upon our arrival, if not again on the route. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 



LETTER III. 



19 



Journey continued from Steubenville to Jefferson Barracks. 

Jefferson Barracks^ August , 1833. 

My dear Sir, 

After a long and tedious journey we arrived at this 
post. I was gratified to find among the letters that 
awaited my arrival, one from yourself, and I sincerely 
hope that it may be the precursor of a regular corres- 
pondence. In my last I gave you an account of my 
progress as far as Steubenville, from which place the 
next morning we took passage to Wheeling, one of the 
prettiest and most bustling little cities in this part of 
the country, built upon a commanding site on the 
west bank of the Ohio river, in the extreme corner of 
the State of Virginia. From this place to Columbus 
we were rapidly hurried along over the great Cum- 
berland road — which, by the by, is the most splendid 
example of perseverance, and at the same time one of 
the most advantageous improvements yet undertaken 
in this section of the country. After a few hours' stay 
at this flourishing town, we again took the stage for 
the metropolis of the West, and found ourselves next 
day at a spacious hotel in the city of Cincinnati, hav- 
ing journeyed the whole distance from Wheeling, over 
a country than which no other is more lovely and in- 
teresting. This part of Ohio reminds me of the wes- 
tern portion of our own State, not indeed so densely 
settled, but exhibiting much of that appearance of 
freshness and enterprise so strikingly developed in the 
almost fairylike growth of our towns and villages. 
Xenia and Springfield are the most conspicuous of 



"20 DUAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

the many through which we passed. We remained 
a day or two at Cincinnati, and again varying our 
mode of conveyance, took passage on board a steamer 
bound for Louisville, Ky. owing to the very low state 
of the water, we were somewhat longer than usual 
in performing this portion of our journey. Thus far 
our route has furnished me with nothing worthy of 
special remark ; • but the subsequent incidents of our 
passage from Louisville to this place partake rather 
more of the romantic character. I might indeed have 
furnished you with a description of scenery ; but it 
possessing no particular feature of interest, I conclud- 
ed that the bare mention of such details would scarce- 
ly serve to interest you ; and besides, of late years this 
route has become so great a thoroughfare, that any re- 
marks which I might make would only be a work of 
supererogation. At Louisville we met Lieut. Colonel 
Kearney, who informed us that Captain Summer's 
troop had embarked on board the steamer Helen Mar 
about a week before. This you may remember is the 
troop to which I anticipated being attached. At ano- 
ther time I would have taken much pleasure in no- 
ticing more minutely the various scenes through, 
which we passed ; but my mind has been continually 
occupied in the anticipation of our prospective cam- 
paign, and every thing, except affairs of a military na- 
ture, appear tame to me. I think even now, as I 
write, that I can see you smile at my enthusiasm, and 
shake your head doubtingly at my anticipations ever 
being realized ; but variety has ever been my watch- 
word through life, and, even should an occasional dark 
cloud obscure the brighter prospect for a season, it 
serves to render its return the more cheering. Once 
more shifting our baggage, we became the incum- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 21 

bents of a spacious cabin of one of the splendid steam- 
ers which ply between the various ports of this noble 
stream, and about four o'clock the same afternoon, re- 
commenced our journey down the Ohio. This we 
imagined would be our last change of the sort ; but it 
proved otherwise, as the sequel will shoW; The first 
twenty miles of our route was performed without in- 
terruption ; but coming suddenly in contact with a 
sand-bar, our boat was " brought up," to use a cant 
phrase, " all standing ;" and so unexpected was the 
shock, that a thousand vague conjectures were in an 
instant formed as to the cause, before we became ac- 
quainted with the fact. After we had all hastened 
upon deck, and the ears of the captain had been 
assailed with an hundred inquiries as to the matter, 
we began to think of a remedy. It was soon disco- 
vered that we were fairly grounded upon a sand-bar, 
and so firmly bedded, that our utmost efforts to disen- 
gage the boat seemed fruitless. 

" What's to be done ?" inquired the passengers. 

" We must try to work her into channel, or we 
must wait for a rise," replied the captain. 

" Wait for a rise f exclaimed the passengers one 
and all, and a kind of sympathetic sigh went, through 
the whole of them. 

"However," said the captain, "we must first try 
and get her into the channel." 

And accordingly, suiting the action to the word, he 
jumped overboard, and was soon followed by both 
crew and passengers, who, after repeated eflbrts by 
rocking the boat from side to side, at length got her 
afloat; and, after working her into deeper water, we 
again got on board and proceeded on our way ; and, 
without having experienced any serious obstruction 



22 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

during the afternoon, " turned m" soon after tea, in 
hopes to wake in the morning and find ourselves 
well advanced upon our journey ; but alas, we awoke 
to a most provoking disappointment, for we were but 
three miles further than when we lay down, having 
again, during the night, grounded upon another bar, 
from which, after long and repeated attempts, we 
found it impossible to get her off: therefore the only 
way to get along comfortably was to play the part of 
the philosopher and trust to Providence. Morning 
passed away, the bell rang for dinner, but we had no 
appetites, vexation seemed to have eradicated every 
other feeling. After dinner, almost all the passengers, 
for the purpose of more effectually killing time, went 
to sleep. I however went on deck, and, with my se- 
gar in my mouth, and taking up the whole of three 
chairs, determined to make the best of a bad bargain ; 
and thus sat, puffing away care, for the greater part of 
two hours, as patiently (at all events, in appearance) 
as Job himself could have behaved in like circum- 
stances. This river, which winds itself along in most 
fantastic curves and angles, exposed, at the peculiar 
point at which we lay, a view of the stream for seve- 
ral miles in either direction ; and as I sat in the com- 
fortable attitude which 1 before hinted, something like 
a boat in appearance glided round the point of land, 
which before had hid it from my view, and slowly 
sailed towards us. Taking advantage of the first op- 
portunity that presented itself, I immediately awaken- 
ed Lieut. B. and urged him to take passage on board 
of her, whatever she might prove to be. Accordingly 
our baggage was got in readiness, and we hailed her 
as she was gliding by us in all the pristine glory that 
these lumbrous conveyances seemed to enjoy before 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 23 

the usurpation of their territory was effected by the 
introduction of steamers, for she turned out to be a 
" broad-horn," as this species of craft is euphonically 
called. It put me in mind of the pictures I had seen 
of Noah's ark more than any thing of recent inven- 
tion. Willing, however, to take the advantage of 
even the unpromising accommodations which she 
might afford, we stood but little upon appearances. 

She sent her yawl alongside ; and in half an hour 
we were again on our way down the river. The 
next thing to be done was to lay in something to eat 
during the voyage ; and accordingly appointing one 
of our company "steward," he with the yawl went 
on shore and laid in a fine supply of bacon hams and 
hard biscuit, to say nothing of the peaches and me- 
lons, which he said the fellow " hove in for greens.'^ 
Thus supplied, and having with the means of pro- 
ceeding on our journey recovered our spirits, we once 
more began to be cheerful ; and the remainder of 
the day passed off more pleasantly. But alas, how 
the sweet and bitter things of this world are mingled 
together ! bedtime came, but no bed was there. 

^^ Heigh-ho P^ said the Lieutenant, as he threw his 
cloke across the flour barrels, and taking a little keg 
of ten-pennies for a pillow, resigned himself to the 
keepingof the drowsy god. 

^^Heigh-ho r thought I too, when, after having 
searched the hold of the boat from stem to stern for my 
own cloke to do likewise, at length found one half of it 
stowed snugly away under one of my fellow-passen- 
gers, who, in a strife for it with his neighbor, had be 
tween them rent it in twain, and were each enjoying 
themselves upon the severed portions of it. Leaving 
them to their sleepy enjoyment, I climbed up on deck, 



24 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

and, picking for the softest plank^ stretched myself 
upon it and soon fell asleep. 

We remained for three days on board of the broad- 
horn, and having moved along so smoothly, almost 
entirely forgot the vexations that we had experienced 
in consequence of the sand-bars ; but being overhauled 
by another steamer bound down stream, and drawing, 
as the captain assured us on his honor, less water than 
any other boat on the river, we thought best again to 
shift our quarters, hoping thereby to make more rapid 
progress. Again moving our luggage on board the 
steamer , we bade adieu to our good friends the captain 
and crew of the broad-horn, who were as clever a 
set of fellows as ever pushed a sweep against the tide. 
However, our change proved to be of no avail in the 
end ; for although we met with no obstructions on the 
first day and night, yet the next morning bringing us 
to that part of the river opposite the mouth of the 
Cumberland, our boat grounded on the bar which is 
also distinguished by that name. And here we re- 
mained despite all our efforts to the contrary, and 
might have remained until the fall freshet, had no 
vessel come to our assistance ; but on the morning of 
the next day, as we were at breakfast, our ears were 
saluted by the sound of a familiar voice, which 
screamed out, " Hollo there, stranger !" springing to 
the deck, to our great joy we saw theidentical broad- 
horn which had before so opportunely come to our 
assistance, with her good natured captain standing 
on deck. 

" I say, stranger, didn't I say that old '■ Slow and 
Easy' was a sure thing in the end?" said he exult- 
ingly — " How are you, Lef tenant ?" " How are you, 
old friend ?" answered Lieutenant B. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 25 

" Why, better off, I reckon, than that 'ere steamer ; 
why, she's as fast sot as the old sycamore root ; pre- 
haps you'd hke to try the old 'Slow and Easy' 
again." 

Overjoyed at the idea of going ahead again, even 
at the snail-pace rate that the broad-horn proceeded, 
he signified his wish to do so, and in a few moments 
we again became the occupiers of our old quarters on 
board the broad-horn, determined not again to be 
induced upon any account to leave her until she 
should arrive at the mouth of the river. 

The Ohio is a noble stream, differing from the 
other large rivers of this country both in the swiftness 
of its current, width of its bed and character of its 
channel. The obstruction to its navigation, as has 
before been hinted, is caused by the sand-bars in a 
stage of low water, together with snags, sawyers and 
rapids. During a middle or high stage these obstruc- 
tions entirely disappear ; and the only difficulty then 
to be encountered is an accelerated current. The 
navigation of this river may be relied on from about 
the middle of February to the end of June, and again 
the water is increased by a fall freshet, which usu- 
ally takes place in October or November. The sce- 
nery of its banks is iieither striking nor peculiarly 
tame ; many places might be favorably noticed, but 
the description would be familiar to all, as of late years 
this route has become a thoroughfare to the whole 
world of country on the south as well as to the west 
and north. 

Once more relieved from the monotony of lying 
upon a sand-bar, we were now sailing down that por- 
tion of the Ohio which glides between the shores of 
Kentucky upon one side, and Illinois and Indiana on 

3 



26 DRAGOON CAMPAfGNg. 

the other. The good natured captain of the broad- 
horn tried to do every thing that lay in his power to 
render our quarters on board of his boat as comfort- 
able as |Tossible ; he was one of that facetious kind of 
fellows that this portion of the country abounds in, a 
thorough-bred KentuckiaUj full of chin music^ as the 
species of loquacity which he possessed is termed here^ 
that is, he never found himself in want of words, but^ 
on the contrary, an argument, or perchance a song, if 
the occasion admitted of it, all came within the limit 
of his powers. In fact, the man saw our impatiencCy 
and truly he did much to alleviate it. Another cha- 
racter, however, of this motley crew, is worthy of re- 
mark. He was a man somewhat above the middle sta- 
ture, and of a sunburned complexion, but with a set 
of features that denoted a miore than ordinary man ; a 
noble and projecting forehead, and a Roman nose, gave 
a prominency to his appearance that one could not 
help but observe ; but there was a wildness of expres- 
sion about his eye which told that reason had partial- 
ly resigned her empire over his mind. He cheerfully 
and steadily performed his duty, which was to take his 
turn at the oars or sweeps by which our boat was pro- 
pelled. His beard had been neglected for several 
weeks, and, from its uncouth appearance, made the 
contrast between it and his noble features the more 
striking. 

After evening had closed upon us, and our lumbrous 
vessel heavily groped her way through the waters, I 
went upon deck, and found the man that I have been 
describing, who had just before been relieved from his- 
oar, lying upon his back, and gazing intently upon 
the moon as she shone brightly in her full orbed splen- 
dor ; and although I seated myself close beside him> 



DRAGOON CA1HPA1GNS. 27 

he neither moved nor appeared to notice me ; at 
length he broke out into an apostrophe to the queen 
of night, and for a long time continued in a wild and 
almost sublime strain of Ossian-like poetry, till appa- 
rently recovering from the thraldom of lunac^r, he 
ceased, and raising himself from his reclining posture^ 
sat beside me for some time silent ; at length I drew 
him into a conversation, and allowing him to follow 
the bent of his own mind, he turned the topic upon 
England and her internal policy ;'he discoursed with 
a fluency and familiarity that proved his acquaintance 
with the subject, and. as he expatiated in glowing 
terms upon the characters that for ages past had 
figured upon the soil of Britain, his oratory became 
vehement and impressive. I gazed upon him with 
astonishment^ and wondered how one so apparently 
moulded for greatness could have fallen so low. I 
dared not ask his name, lest I should betray a curi- 
osity which in reality I felt ; but at length, however, 
I inquired why he left England. ^' Because," said he, 
'• I am a Republican." 

And drawing himself up to his full height, " Yes," 
•said he, ^' the son of Richard Brindly Sheridan is a 
Republican." 

I involuntarily started. What ! was he, the miser- 
able being before me, the son of the mighty Sheridan ? 
1 ventured to question him, but his mind had caught 
another channel, and was hurriedly flowing along 
with it ; his words seemed the impulse of immediate 
thought, and passed from him only to give utterance 
to new. If it be so, thought I, nature hath freaks, and 
this is one of them. We parted, and I retired for the 
night. 

The next morning we arose bright and early, and 



28 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

had the gratification of hearing that we were not far 
from the mouth of the river, which was, of all other in- 
teUigence, the most pleasing to us, as we had now been 
so long upon the water, and under so many and trying 
vicissitudes, as to have, become somewhat weary. No 
obstruction or event worthy of notice took place, until 
about two o'clock in the afternoon. All the passen- 
gers were enjoying a little nap in the hold upon the 
flour barrels, when I was awakened by a shout from 
the captain of our boat. 

" Hollo there, Ben, isn't that 'ere boat ahead there 
the Helen Mar ?" 

" 1 reckon 'tis," replied Ben, " for she's got two 
white chimneys." 

" Why," replied the captain, " them 'ere soldiers 
might have footed it faster than she's carried 'um." 

The mention of soldiers naturally aroused me, and 
I jumped on deck. " What soldiers are you talking 
about, captain?" I asked. "Why, some of them 'ere 
Horse Dragoons that's come from York State ; they've 
been ever since two weeks ago last Monday since they 
left Louisville, and there they are tight aground, and 
jikely to be so, for all I know." 

Lieut. B. now came on deck, and learning that the 
troop to which we were to be attached were on board 
the boat that lay aground about half a mile before us^ 
ordered that our baggage should be again got in 
. readiness to make another move ; and soon after we 
were again settled in the yawl, and bidding adieu to 
the captain and crew, steered for the Helen Mar. 

As we approached the shore I observed several 
young men (attired in what I afterward learned to 
be the fatigue uniform, a blue roundabout trimmed 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 29 

With yellow lace, white pantaloons, and forage caps) 
standing upon the beach, and as we landed many 
others approached, and immediately we found our- 
selves surrounded witli those who were to be our fu- 
ture associates. 

One of the number, who appeared to wear the air 
mid carriage of an old soldier, touched his cap as he 
came up to me, and in a very respectful manner re- 
marked that the Captain was on board the boat, and 
had sent them to see our baggage taken care of, add- 
ing, as he again touched his cap. " Lieutenant, it shall 
all be attended to." 

Turning to him immediately, I remarked that he 
had mistaken my rank ; nevertheless, I was gratified at 
the compliment of being mistaken for the Lieutenant. 

" There," said I, " is the Lieutenant ; I am only a re- 
cruit." At this, his reserve forsook him, and finding 
that he was not addressing an ofiicer, he became quite 
familiar, and introduced me to the others around him. 
I in a few moments, therefore, became as an old ac- 
quaintance with them alL 

My first introduction to the troop being over, I put 
on my laced jacket and forage cap, and having thus 
speedily effected my transformation, was no longer the 
citizen, but the youthful soldier, buoyant with expec- 
tation, and eager to enter upon a line of life that was 
at least new, and promised to be as pleasing as conti- 
nual change of scene can make it. My companions 
are generally about my own age, and having been 
born and bred in the same State with myself, no 
change of habits or manners was requisite to become 
immediately associated with them. They were not 
old soldiers, or I should have received more severe 

3* 



30 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

handliiigfrom them ; for I have now learned that when 
a recruit joins an old company, he has to pay pretty 
dearly for the inconvenience that his awkwardness oc- 
casions the rest, and, like the jokes practiced upon the 
youthful mariner when he first crosses the ocean, the 
more good naturedly he takes it the better for himself. 

Now for the first time did I begin to realize that I 
was a soldier ; for while I had been traveling with the 
Lieutenant,* I had received no treatment from him 
that reminded me of the difference of rank between us. 

Two days after we had joined the company on 
board the Helen Mar, she was got off" the sand bar, 
and without farther interruption we soon after ar- 
rived at the mouth of the Ohio ; after a short stay 
here we doubled the point and began to beat up 
against the powerful tide of the Mississippi, and on 
the evening of the second day arrived at about one 
mile below Jefferson Barracks. 

My notes would furnish me with other incidents of 
minor importance, but presuming that this long letter 
must ere this have wearied you, I conclude by re- 
questing you would write often, and by adding in the 
language of Chesterfield — Juheo te valere. 

* I can truly say that, throughout my whole term of service 
in the army, my treatment by that gentleman was ever more 
of the friend than the officer — and with no greater pleasure 
do I note down any event of these campaigns, or aught con- 
nected with the army, than to award the title of gentleman to 
an officer. I shall ever respect Lieutenant Bergwin as one 
marked out peculiarly among his fellows as deserving of 
the title of gentleman as truly as he merits the name of being 
an excellent officer. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 31 



LETTER IV. 



Remarks relative to the organization of the Regiment — Instruc- 
tions from Hon. J. C. Calhoun to Major Long, in 1819 — Enlist- 
ment of Rangers after the Black Hawk War— Disbanding of Ran- 
gers, and enlistment of Dragoons — Bad arrangement in regard 
to clothing. 

Jefferson Barracks, September, 1833. 
My Dear Sir, 

You are undoubtedly impatient to learn something 
concerning our organization, and I will endeavor 
in this letter to lay before you all in relation to it that 
I have myself learned. Excuse me, however, if I pre- 
face them with some remarks which may serve as an 
introduction to the subject. 

As early as the spring of 1819 the settlement of that 
vast tract of territory extending between the Missis- 
sippi river and the Rocky Mountains was looked 
upon as an object sufficiently near at hand to warrant 
the fitting out of an expedition to explore it. In the 
preliminary notice to the records of that expedition, 
which in 1 823 was published under the title of " Maj. 
Long's expedition to the Rocky Mountains," we find 
the object of the campaign contained in the following 
instructions from the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, then Secre- 
tary of War, to Major Long. 

1. " You will assume the command of the expedi- 
tion to explore the country between the Mississippi 

and the Rocky Mountains. 

2. " You will first explore the Missouri and its 
principal branches, and in succession the Red River, 
Arkansas, and Mississippi above the mouth of the Mis- 
souri. 



32 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

3. " The object of the expedition is to acquire as 
thorough and adequate knowledge as may be practi- 
cable of a portion of our country which is daily be- 
coming more interesting, but is as yet imperfectly 
known ; with this view you will permit nothing to es- 
cape your attention. You will ascertain the latitude 
and longitude of remarkable points with all possible 
precision. You will, if practicable, ascertain some 
point in the 49th parallel of latitude which separates 
our possessions from those of Great Britain : a know- 
ledge of the extent of our limits will prevent collision 
between our trades and theirs. 

4. " You will enter on your Journal every thing in 
relation to soil, face of the country, water courses, and 
productions, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral. 
You will conciliate the Indians by kindness and pre- 
sents, and will ascertain, as far as practicable, the num- 
ber and character of the various tribes, with the extent 
of country claimed by each. 

5. " Great confidence is reposed in the acquirements 
and zeal of the citizens who will accompany the ex- 
pedition for scientific purposes, and a confident hope 
is entertained that their duties will be performed in 
such a manner as to add both to their own reputation 
and that of our country." (fee. <fec. 

Copious and interesting as the Journal of this ex- 
pedition is, possessing as it does a collection of matter 
that evinces the faithful discharge of their duties, as 
well as the intimate acquaintance with those duties, 
on the part of the scientific gentlemen connected 
with the expedition, still we are told by the compiler 
that the work is far less extensive than was contem- 
plated, and indeed than was specified in the foregoing 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 33 

orders, which however was on account of the retrench- 
ment in all expenditures of a public nature that took 
place about that time ; and consequently the means 
necessary to the prosecution of the expedition being- 
withheld, the officers were recalled, and all farther 
researches abandoned. Since this expedition was con- 
cluded, however, this country has been fast settling to 
the west, and a large portion of what was then wilder- 
ness is now thickly inhabited. 

The field over which our regiment will roam, will 
lor the most part lie west of the Arkansas, comprising 
that vast wilderness of fertility extending to those piles 
of towering and fantastic rocks that rear their lofty 
heads above the clouds. A district so unknown, so 
wild, so vast, and so laden with interest as this, must 
carry with it, even in a description, a deep and strong 
feeling of interest, especially to us, who may within 
the bounds of reasonable calculation look forward to 
the time in our own days when the rapid increase of 
this country will have disrobed the prairie of its wild 
verdure and loveliness, and reared upon its soil the 
habitation of the farmer, the tradesman, and the me- 
chanic. Description can convey no adequate idea 
of that region where nature seems to have wrought 
upon so grand a scale, where the impenetrable forest, 
extending over unmeasured space, echoes back in wild 
and solitary grandeur the accents of the still wilder 
notes that it listens to ; where the prairie sweeps, like 
the wave of ocean, so far on every side that the hori- 
zon alone can bound it ; where stupendous moun- 
tains rear their rock-imbedded crests to the heavens ; 
where the wild elk and buffalo range over their na- 
tive plains ; and where the stately savage, the lord of 



84 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

his inheritance, gazes toward the horizon on either 
side, nor dreams that the world contains aught else 
than the hunting ground of his fathers, and the tribe 
:}hat honors him as their chief 

What a field is here for the morahst, painter, poet, or 
historian ! Here, the eye never tires of roaming, for, 
even upon the prairie, the infinite variety of herb and 
flower, of every hue and aspect, affords a gratifying 
subject of contemplation to the casual observer as well 
as to the scientific botanist. Here it is that man feels 
the true spirit of devotion to his Creator, for all around 
him is calculated to impress upon his feelings a sense 
of his power and greatness. Standing amidst the 
mighty expanse that surrounds him, his mind natu- 
rall)'- reverts to the greatness of that Being, whose 
word of power spoke worlds into existence, and con- 
trasting his own comparative nothingness with the 
grandeur of creation, he can better appreciate the 
omnipotence of his Creator. There is a moral subli- 
mity in scenes like these : calm and quiet, the mind 
may here roam undisturbed and gain new expansion 
with every exercise. 

To me the reflection is a melancholy one, that ere 
long the time will come when this glorious region 
shall be changed into the crowded mart of traffic ; 
that the woodman's axe shall resound and reverbe- 
rate through these mighty forests ; that soon the last 
Indian must be swept from off" the land that his an- 
cestors reigned over ; and that these vivid scenes 
which the adventurous traveler now looks upon as 
fraught with a living interest, must ere long only be 
numbered with the things that were. But such is 
the march of improvement such the rapid settlement 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 35 

of western America, that, if we may be allowed to 
judge of what will be by what has been, the subjuga- 
tion of this whole western Avorld to the renovating in- 
fluence of industry and art is not far distant. 

But a truce to this long digression — my anticipa- 
tion has carried me over the ground more rapidly 
than my horse will ; but to return to plain matter of 
fact, I will attempt to relate the causes which led to 
the formation of our regiment, and what may be our 
destination. 

During the summer of 1832, Gov. Reynolds, of Illi- 
nois, ordered out 1500 mounted men, who joined the 
regular troops, under command of General Atkinson 
and Colonel Dodge, at Winnebago. After the termi- 
nation of that series of Indian disturbances which 
ended in the capture of Black Hawk, many of these 
men enlisted in the different companies of mounted 
rangers, which Congress ordered to be raised for 
the more perfect defence of the frontiers bordering 
upon the lands of the Indians. They were to find 
their own horses and equipments, government supply- 
ing them only with provision. These companies oc- 
cupied the greater portion of their year of enlistment 
in foraging, and they were discharged at the expira- 
tion of their term of service, which was but a few 
months since. Previous to this, the President pro- 
posed the enlisting of six companies of dragoons, of 
one hundred men each ; which proposition coming 
before Congress, it was, after several amendments, at 
length carried, that a regiment of dragoons, consist- 
ing of ten companies, of seventy-one men each, should 
be organized and stationed upon the western frontier. 
The orders for the enlistment of this corps were is- 



36 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

sued last March, and Officers from the different regi- 
ments of infantry were appointed upon this service. 
Five of these companies were ordered to be organized 
at the Head Quarters of the regiment (which was ap- 
pointed at Jefferson Barracks) this fall, and the other 
battalian the ensuing spring. 

It was the policy of government to allow no sec- 
tional feelings towards this corps. To effect this, 
they appointed depots in almost every section of the 
Union, and when the regiment came together at the 
Head (Quarters, nearly every State in the Union was 
found to have its representatives. 

The immense tide of emigration to the regions of 
the West, and the rapidity with which the States bor- 
dering on the Mississippi were settling, had induced 
all that class of adventurers, who hate nothing more 
than society, to quit these densely populated places, 
and as fast as they were incommoded by their neigh- 
bors' settling so near them that they could see the 
smoke from their cabin chimneys curling up above 
the tops of the forest trees, they began to imagine 
that emigration was too rapidly coming upon them, 
and consequently^ they, to use their own words, " had 
to pull up stakes," and seek some more retired abode, 
amid the still deeper solitudes of the West. 

Thus arose collisions and disputes between the 
squatters and the different tribes of Indians that in- 
habit, in wandering communities, this wild and luxu- 
riant region ; and thus, as has been before intimated, 
was this regiment of dragoons to be stationed upon 
the far western frontier, for the more perfect defence 
of the white settlers against the depredations and 
attacks of the Indians. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 37 

Some of the troops that had been enlisted in the 
neighboring states arrived at this port, which was 
appointed for the head-quarters of the regiment, as 
early as the first part of May, from which it may be 
seen how little time was employed in their enlistment ; 
the orders having been published only the March 
preceding, and on the sixth day of the present 
month the last troop took up their quarters here, 
having been enlisted in the western part of the state 
of New- York, under command of Capt. E. V. Sum- 
ner and Lieut. Burgwin, to which troop your hum- 
ble servant is also attached. The officers now assem- 
bled at this post, attached to the dragoon service, are 
Col. Dodge, Lieut. Col. Kearney, Maj. Mason, Adj. 
Lieut. J. Davis, belonging to the Staff; Capt. Clifton 
Wharton, in command of Company " A," Capt. E. V. 
Sumner, of Company " B," Capt. Holmes, of Company 
" C," Capt. Hunter, of Company '• D," and First Lieut. 
David Perkins, of Company " E," which last troop is 
composed of young men from the city of New- York, 
Lieuts. Burgwin, Swords, Van Deveer, Lupton, Ury, 
Edwards, Watson, Northrop, Cooke, &c. the subal- 
tern officers not all having as yet arrived. 

To give any adequate idea of the appearance of 
this regiment when they were for the first time drawn 
up in line, would be a task of no ordinary difficulty ; 
but if you will please to recollect the description of 
Jack Falstaff 's ragged regiment, you may form some 
idea of this one. 

Having been assured by the recruiting officers that 
their military clothing was in readiness for them at 
the Head (Quarters, they were induced to part with 
or leave behind them every rag of clothing except 
what they might deem sufficient to serve them until 
4 



38 0RAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

their arrival there ; and the result was, that as there- 
was no clothing at all at the Barracks, the most of 
the dragoons soon began to grow gradually thread- 
bare. I am not now complaining on my own ac- 
count ; for Capt. Sumner, as well as Lieut. Perkins,, 
who has command of another troop, (also from our 
own state.) with a foresight for which they deserve 
great credit, provided their men with a full supply of 
every article of clothing necessary for their comfort 
as well as uniform appearance. The other three 
troops present rather a ragged appearance, and there 
has been some murmuring among them ; I for one, 
however, am determined to put up with every thing 
as well as I can, and hope to be fully compensated, by 
the novelty and enjoyment of our prospective move- 
ments, for all minor evils. 

We have no course marked out yet. I think that 
we shall remain in quarters here this winter. We 
are drilled every day in the m.anual, and will not re- 
ceive our horses for some time to come. I have 
a rather laughable account of our first drill to com- 
municate to you, but my time will not allow me to 
protract this scrawl any farther. 

Do not fail to send me papers regularly. 

Yours, &c. 



I>RAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 39 

LETTER V. 

Breaking-in Drill — Reception of Muskets — Description of Oincers. 

Jefferson Barracks, Sepfcmher, 1883. 
Dear Sir, 

In my last I promised yon an account of onr first 
drill ; I can do but little toward describing so ludicrous 
a scene ; but you shall have it, as I noted, at the time, 
the description in my journal. It runs thus : 

Having been allowed two days to recover from the 
languor and fatigue incidental to our journey, our 
company was reported for duty ; and accordingly a 
detail was made from our ranks for guard tlie next 
day. The remainder of the company were assembled 
in the afternoon for drill ; and now commenced a 
scene that yielded much to the enjoyment of those 
who were our seniors by only a few weeks in the ser- 
vice. Sergeant Roberts (the same man that I before 
have had occasion to notice) Avas the only one in the 
troop that knew how to put his left foot foremost ; and // 
to attempt to describe the ludicrous piece of work we 
made of it, would be entirely out of the question ; how- 
ever, we were drawn up in line, and the command was 
given, " right dress .'" Every one looked at the Ser- 
geant to see how he did it ; and after a good deal of 
shufiling and squinting, we presented somewhat of a 
fair front. The orders to let tho arms hang loosely^ 
to keep the little finger strais^ht down the seam of the 
pantaloons, and to turn the toes out to a proper angle, 
at the same time to keep the chin erected to its proper 
height, all followed in regular and rapid succession ; 
and when we ;vere thus modified according to the 
^^ Rules and Articles." we must have had the appear- 



40 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

ance of so many statues. The company thus ar- 
ranged, the captain cast upon us a smile of compla- 
cency, and walked around to the rear for a more mi- 
nute inspection. 

'- Turn your toes out more, Cooke ; and you, Grant- 
or, let your arms hang more loosely, and hold up your 
head," said he, when he had again taken a glance at 
the front. 

" Yery well^ that,'' said the captain, when these re- 
quisitions had been complied with, (which was the ex- 
pression that he always used when any thing was 
done to his liking.) 

Taking advantage of the hints that had been given 
to my companions, I screwed myself into the position 
that I imagined to be nearest in accordance with the 
prescribed rules, (a position, by the by, as uncomfort- 
able as one may well imagine,) but for all that I did 
not escape being the subject of a special remark ; for 
the captain soon after, pointing to me, asked in a stern • 
tone of voice, 

" Where's your stock, sir ?" 

I replied that I had left it in the Barrack-room, at 
the same time wondering how he could perceive that 
I was without it, for my jacket collar was buttoned 
close up in my neck. 

" Go and put it on, sir, and never again come half- 
dressed upon parade," was his only reply. 

These little matters at length being all properly ad- 
justed, we commenced operations, and spent full an 
hour and a half in marching in open files (that is, indi- 
vidually) across the parade ground, each one taking 
his turn of becoming the subject of a titter through- 
out the troop. , 

Again formed in line, the command was given : 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 41 

^ Attention !"— ^' column forward !"— " guide right !" 
^^ march !" 

At the last word some put forward the right foot, 
others the left, some looking to one flank, some to the 
other, and before we had got six paces ahead, there 
were no two marching together. 

" Hah !" cried the captain. 

" Right dress !" screamed the sergeant, and once 
more Ave were got into shape. 

^'Try that again, and see if you cannot manage to 
put forward the left foot, and keep dressed on the ser- 
geant." — "Attention !" — " column forward !" — " guide 
right !" — " march !" 

This time all except three put forward the left foot, 
and we managed to keep together for some fifteen or 
twenty paces; when by that time our front becoming 
somewhat semi-circular, we again received the order 
to " halt !" 

We repeated this manoeuvre several times ; but 
Cooke and one or two others still persisting in putting 
forward the right foot instead of the left ; the captain 
lost all patience, and dismissing the rest of the troop, 
ordered them in the awkward ^quad^ to have half an 
hour's extra drill. 

Thus ended our first day's duty, and some of us 
already began to feel that we knew almost as much 
^s the captain himself 

Time and practice, however, has corrected many of 
our mistakes, except poor Cooke, who never could 
learn to put his left foot forward. He deserted, how- 
ever, the next week ; and, fortunately for both himself 
and the service, he has not since been heard of. 

Having thus mastered the breaking-in drill, we 
were now to commence the manual ; and for the first 



42 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

time since we had been soldiers, was a musket placed 
in our hands ; these however were in no way dan- 
gerous, being a lot of condemned pieces that had lain 
in the arsenal since the last war ; and however well 
they answered the purpose of " shouldering arms," 
they were nevertheless deficient as to the " aim," and 
altogether refractory at the command, " fire !" for, 
with the exception of one or two that had been care- 
lessly packed away loaded, and, after repeated snap- 
ping, went off, to the disquieting of the nerves of the 
fellows that held them, I believe none of them were 
capable of doing any injury. 

It was really laughable to see one of these pieces 
brought to bear, by a sentinel, upon some luckless 
fellow who might chance to have wandered after 
dark beyond the precincts of the barracks : — " Stand !" 
cried the sentinel, in the peculiar accents of autho- 
rity, at the same time levelling his piece, which would 
have been as effectual, had he really wanted to fire 
it, as a broomstick. 

But, nevertheless, we soon learned how to handle 
them, and are beginning to be exercised upon the 
more intricate principles of tactics, such as skirmish- 
ing, ambush fighting, and the different manoeuvres 
that serve to show that war may be reduced to a 
science, and how to take advantage of circumstances. 

Perhaps you would like some description of our 
officers. Col. Dodge is in command of the regiment, 
a man about say fifty, thick set, somewhat gray, a 
thorough backwoodsman, very fond of talking over 
his own exploits ; he was, I believe, a militia general, 
and obtained the colonelcy of this regiment on ac- 
count of his late exertions during the Black Hawk 
war on the whole a clever man, but not much of a 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 43 

soldier. Next in command comes Lieut. Col. Kear- 
ney. This officer has not yet, however, joined the. 
regiment at Head (Quarters. Report speaks highly 
of his skill in tactics. A few days after our arrival 
here, an errand brought me early in the morning to 
the Major's quarters. After I had twice knocked at 
the door, he called out in somewhat of a surly tone, 
" Come in !" whereupon I obeyed the summons, and 
next minute stood in the presence of Major M. He 
had not yet made his toilet, and sat at the breakfast 
table sans culotte^ surrounded by his four favorite 
dogs. The apartment presented a bachelor-like ap- 
pearance, and my first glance gave me no very fa- 
vorable impression of its inmate. I have heard that 
he was a man severe to a fault, and although well 
esteemed by his brother officers on account of his 
soldiership, yet not much of a favorite with those un- 
der his command. Our company officers are gene- 
rally men well selected for this service ; and, as is na- 
tural, each troop "think their own officers best. As for 
myself, I am, as Addison says, only a ^^ spectator^'' — a 
looker on ; and although one of the number, I often 
forget that I have aught else to do than to notice the 
movements of others. As yet, we have only known 
the life of a soldier in barracks, which I admit is 
rather monotonous ; but the field and the camp are 
before us. My duties compel me to close. 

I remain your friend, (fee. 



44 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

LETTER VI. 

Disappointment of Dragoons — Disaffection and Desertion — De-= 
scription of Jefferson Barracks — Dragoons made to build Stables 
— Comments — Deserter whipped — Comments. 

Jefferson Barracks, Ocloher, 1833. 
Dear Sir, 

I will no longer withhold from you the fact, that 
there is much murmuring and disaffection in our 
regiment, and I must say, justly so. Desertions are 
becoming every day more and more numerous. I 
complain of nothing individually, but the treatment of 
this corps has been very different from any thing we 
had reason to expect. A few weeks since we muster- 
ed, independent of the five full troops, a detachment 
consisting of upwards of forty men ; now there is 
not left the entire strength of the five troops. Five, 
six, and even eight, have deserted in a single night ; 
not only privates, but corporals and sergeants. 

The high commendations that were every where 
heard in relation to this corps, and the glowing and 
artful stories of those whose duty it was to enlist men 
for the service, induced young men to enroll them- 
selves in this regiment, who, in point of talent, ap- 
pearance and respectability, perhaps never were sur- 
passed in the history of military affairs. Many were 
enlisted under the express declaration that they were 
to rank with the cadets at the military academy, and 
under the belief that they were rather to be consid- 
ered as a volunteer corps, whose wants and comforts 
were to be attended to, and that they should not be 
subjected to the more severe restrictions of army dis- 
cipline. Many were told, when they were entreated 
to enlist, that they would have nothing to do but to 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 45 

ride on horseback over the country, to explore the 
western prairies and forests, and, indeed, spend their 
time continually in delightful and inspiring occupa- 
tions ; and particularly and often was the remark 
made, that it would disgrace a dragoon even to speak 
with an infantry soldier. I only mention these things 
to show how so superior a band of young men could 
have been induced to enlist themselves as common 
soldiers in the illiberal army of America, where the 
very fact of a man's being a soldier seems to imply 
that he is fit for no other employment. 

Widely different from their anticipations the mem- 
bers of this deluded regiment found themselves pla- 
ced immediately upon their arrival at Head (Quar- 
ters. Instead of enjoying any of the privileges and 
comforts that had been promised to them, they now 
found that they were nothing above the other portions 
of the army ; indeed, subject to all the duties of the 
infantry soldier, in addition to those that peculiarly 
belong to the dragoon. Their barrack-rooms were 
neither provided with bunks, or any thing substituted 
for them ; and the very implements in the kitchen were 
paid for out of the soldiers' money. 

Notwithstanding these and many other grievances 
that might be here enumerated, the dragoons would 
have still submitted to their fate, and much disaffec- 
tion and desertion might have been prevented among 
them, had the officers of this regiment treated those 
whom they had drawn into its ranks in such a man- 
ner as their standing and deportment merited. But, 
unfortunately, they had a little brief authority, and 
they seemed determined to use it. 

On account of the non-fulfillment of contract on the 
part of the officers, the men soon began to grow dis- 



46 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

affected, and during the first month several deserted. 
Oppression every day growino^ more and more insup- 
portable, the dragoons began openly to murmur, and 
the guard-house was kept continually filled to over- 
flowing. Courts-martial were in continual session; 
and for the most trifling neglect of duty, men were 
tried and sentenced either to walk the tow-path all 
day with a bag of shot on their shoulders, or to con- 
finement in the ofuard-room. 

Jefferson Barracks is peculiarly favorable to the 
accomplishment of the designs of those who had been 
forced, as it were, to desert ; for, indeed, although I 
would not upon any account attempt to palliate the 
crime of desertion, yet I do here say that the decep- 
tion practiced by the officers was no less a crime. 

This Post is beautifully situated upon the Missis- 
sippi river, about ten miles below the city of St. Louis ; 
the river rapidly flowing along, keeps on its course 
until it mingles its waters with that of the ocean, and 
consequently a boat in the night, without any noise 
or trouble, may be launched into the stream, and ere 
daylight gave notice of his departure, the deserter 
might be well under way towards New Orleans, or 
wherever he might choose to shape his course. 

The barracks are built of hewn stone, upon a delight- 
ful bluff, and formed in shape of a hollow-square, or ra- 
ther oblong ; the buildings occupied by the officers are 
two stories high, and those by the soldiers but one, 
extending along on either side of the parade ground, 
v\rhich is handsomely graded, and from the river pre- 
sents a fine appearance. The land in this vicinity 
is broken, and full of pitfalls, and subterraneous cav- 
erns leading to the river ; the soil so poor that nothing 
but dwarf oaks can be seen, except in the immediate 
neighborhood of the barracks. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 47 

I forgot to mention in my last, that every day im- 
mediately after morning drill, the different troops were 
marched off, armed with shovels, pickaxes, hammers, 
saws, and various other implements of mechanical 
use, to a spot of ground in the neighborhood of the 
barracks, for the purpose of building stables. Now^ 
were we in the woods, and placed in circumstances 
which demanded of us such labor, I should not 
have a word to urge against it. But something is 
wrong to my mind, in the affair as it stands. Most 
assuredly government pays for all public works, and 
stables for Uncle Sam's horses, attached to a military 
post, are certainly public buildings. Be that as it 
may, this regiment was not enlisted to build stables, 
and some of our men have signified their disrelish of 
the work by not remaining to see it finished. Some 
captains have ordered timber ready hewn from St. 
Louis, and allowed some of the dragoons extra pay 
(although merely a nominal sum) for their labor ; 
but others have made their men cross the Mississippi, 
cut down timber and tow it to the opposite side, with- 
out the smallest compensation. 

Not to be at all personal, I have wondered whether 
somebody did not make money out of this speculation. 
If government paid for the labor, those who perform- 
ed it had no share in the profits. 

The stables, however, are nearly finished ; and in a 
few days we are to receive our horses, which we are 

all anxious to have. 

♦ ♦«♦*♦ 

♦ *•**• 



One afternoon, while engaged in building our sta- 



// 



48 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

bles, the orderly sergeant came running to the place 
and gave orders to be in readiness for a full dress 
parade at 4 o'clock the same afternoon. Accordingly 
we broke oif work an hour beforehand, and com- 
menced preparations : not knowing, however, for 
what purpose we were to be assembled. 

The bugle at the appointed hour called the whole 
battalion from the quarters, and a few moments after 
we were formed in a line across the parade ground. 
The orderly sergeants brought their respective troops 
to " right dress," and with the usual salutation, re- 
minding their company officers that the preliminaries 
were completed, took their proper stations on the right 
of each troop. The captains in turn inspected the 
columns of platoons, and again wheeling to the left, 
brought the column into line. Next in order of in- 
spection came the adjutant, and, commencing at the 
right of the line, " told off" the battalion by equal 
troops, the subalterns taking their stations in the rank 
of file-closers. The whole being now properly or- 
ganized, the major received intimation from the adju- 
tant, and took command. 

Various evolutions occupied the time until about 
the hour of five, when were drawn up in a hollow- 
square, and the command given to " rest." Presently 
from a little distance was heard the sound of a drum 
and fife approaching, and it grew louder and louder, 
until, turning the point of the angle that before hid 
them from our sight, we discerned a small detach- 
ment of the guard advancing towards us, preceded 
by three or four musicians. In the centre of this 
little group was a man with his hands tied behind his 
back, and destitute of nearly all his upper garments. 
The truth now flashed upon my mind. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 49 

About ten months before, this man had been ap- 
prehended as a deserter, and sentenced to undergo 
the penalty usually awarded to that crime, but subse- 
quently feigning derangement, (as was afterward 
learned,) he was reprieved, and had been ever since in 
the hospital. Unfortunately for himself, in an un- 
guarded moment he left the ward in which he had 
been placed, and returned to make a visit to the sutler. 
Becoming rather too happy in the company of the 
congenial spirits that he met there, he forgot entirely 
his self-command, and drank deep draughts from the 
foaming bowl. On his return to the hospital, that 
asylum in which he had been sheltered from the fate 
that awaited him, he was accosted by the head physi- 
cian, who immediately seeing his situation, demanded 
his excuse for leaving the grounds without permis- 
sion. The soldier, too deeply inebriated to distinguish 
friend from foe, returned an insolent answer to the 
inquiry, and, upon the second interrogatory of the 
doctor, leveled a blow directly in his face. 

That unlucky blow sealed his fate — and, as if in- 
stinctively becoming sensible of his situation, con- 
sciousness seemed in an instant to have returned. A 
file of the guard immediately remanded him to prison, 
and an arrangement was made to carry into effect his 
previous sentence. 

Such are the facts in brief. The detachment that 
had brought the prisoner to the guard house, now 
awaited the command of the Major. Three of them 
were ordered to make a pyramid of muskets with fixed 
bayonets, and tying the hands of the unfortunate 
man to the top, made fast his feet to the base, first hav- 
ing taken off the last garment which had covered his 
back. 

5 



IJRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

Could I have retired from the scene, I felt that 1 
would willingly have given all that I possessed. My 
heart sickened — my limbs quivered with a nervous 
excitement, and the blood forsook my features — and 
whilst the prisoner evinced no apparent sign of dis- 
quiet, I trembled at every limb. 

The Major now took his station in the centre of the 
square near the prisoner, together with the doctor^ 
and two drummers, who were to be the intermediary 
ministers of justice — if indeed such cruelty can be so- 
termed. 

The signal was given, and with an instrument call- 
ed familiarly a cat-o^'nine-iails, fifty successive lash- 
es were laid upon the back of the wretched victim l 
The first six or eight, although applied with force 
enough to make the blood flow copiously from the 
lacerated wounds, brought no sign of flinching, but 
as the subsequent successive strokes fell upon the 
wounded flesh, groans, and at length piercing shrieks 
rent the air, and before the last blow had fallen, the 
unhappy man had sunk into a swoon. 

After being taken down from the place of execution 
he was carried to the hospital, and an application of 
salt and water roughly applied to his wounds — after 
which he was again consigned to the dreary walls of 
the guard-house, to serve out in confinement the re- 
mainder of his enlistment. 

I forbear to make any comment upon this scene — 
all the finer feelings of our nature shrink from the 
contemplation of so horrid a sight ; but custom, impe- 
rious, unyielding custom, has sanctioned it, and we 
are constrained to be the unwilling spectators of such 
appalling outrages upon humanity. 

Rumors are afloat that we are to be sent to the Ar- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 51 

kansas for winter quarters. I know not yet how this 
will be, but am disposed to think it only a "camp 
story." 

Please continue your favors. Postage is the most 
welcome item in my catalogue of expenses. 

Yours, &c. 



LETTER VIL 



Description of Horses — First Mounted Parade — Inspection— Guard 
[ Duty— Romantic Reflections— Remarkable Appearance of the 
{ Stars, _. _. , _ 

Jeferso7i Barracks, Nov. 19th, 1833. 

My dear Sir, 

To-morrow we cdmmence our march. As you 
may suppose, we have not been idle since the date of 
my last. We have been employed for the week past 
in almost continual drill. My time has indeed been 
so completely occupied that I have not till this mo- 
ment found leisure to attempt an answer to your com- 
munication of the 12th. 

1 believe that as yet I have given you no descrip- 
tion of our horses. They indeed deserve more than 
a passing notice. We have been in possession of 
them about six weeks, and by constant practice have 
rendered them quite familiar with military usage. 
Each troop have three of a different color —blacks, 
greys, sorrels, creams, and bays. We have not yet 



52 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

received our iiiuforms, (as they have been sent to 
Fort Gibson ;) but even in our ^fatiguesj we make 
an imposing appearance when mounted. 

Our first-battahon parade on our horses took place 
on the morning of the 9th, on a beautiful spot of 
green sward, about an hundred rods in rear of the 
barracks. We were drilled by Major Mason, and 
considering the many disadvantages under which we 
labored, and the very little practice that we have had, 
we came off with much credit. The next day (Sun- 
day) we were again assembled upon the same ground, 
and the Inspector General with his suite marched 
through our ranks, and pronounced both men, horses 
and equipments in excellent order. * * # 

All the romantic ingredient of my composition 
was called into action a few nights since. My name 
had been read in orders at retreat roK-call, for guard 
next day : this was the first time that I had been cho- 
sen for that duty. Accordingly, I reported myself 
next morning at the Adjutant's quarters. It was not, 
however, until my third watch that I experienced the 
sensations of peculiar excitement that then pervaded 
my frame. The spot upon which I was stationed 
was upon the bank of the Mississippi, over whose 
rippled current the full moon shone with her silvery 
light. I watched that bright orb as she climbed up 
behind the dim blue outlines of the distant hills, and 
cast her gentle beams through the latticed foliage. 
Soon she rose above the tops of the tallest trees, and 
majestically journeyed on her upward course. Silence 
reigned triumphant, save when the loud neigh of 
some impatient steed echoed through the air, or the 
autumn wind sighed through the half-naked branches 



ORIGOON CAMPAIGNS. 53 

of the trees. T was alone — a soldier — a sentinel : as 
I paced up and down the sentry- walk a thousand re- 
flections crowded upon my mind ; now my thoughts 
would wander back over the hours of school-boy 
days, and fondly dwell upon the recollection of child- 
hood's sports and the associations of home and friends, 
O what a joyous season is that of youth — happy, 
careless, buoyant youth — life then indeed is sweet — 
its fountains pure and gushing — its streams transpa- 
rent — its tendrils elastic — its hopes, affections, joys, 
all, all pure, unalloyed, unmixed with sorrows and 
with griefs. Then we drink from the crystal rivulet 
of life, and no dregs are mingled with the draught — 
no rooted sorrows — no lingering remnants of long 
blighted hopes — no memory of crushed affections 
throw their dark shadows over the sunny pathway of 
«arly youth : untrammeled with cares, unused to dis- 
appointments, the young heart, free as the air of hea- 
ven, leaps with joy at the anticipation of every change 
— men then seem Gods — nature seems drest in eter- 
nal smiles — the gushing waterfall, the early matin of 
the birds fall upon the ear as the delightful harmony 
of sweet sounds — but more than all this. Friendship 
then seems reality. The heart knows naught but 
confidence — envy, deceit, misfortune, sorrow, an- 
guish, misery are unknown : smiles and caresses meet 
us at every turn ; and we deem that this will last. 
Futile, deceptive vision ! would that it might last — 
would that the curtain of futurity might remain un- 
furled, and life, in all the joyousness of childhood, 
cling to us forever t ***** • 
* * * * # # Then the aspirations 
of the soldier would flit over me, and in turn every 
hero of by-gone days would rise in imagination be- 

5* 



54 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

fore me. Footsteps approached, and disturbed my 
reverie. 

" Who goes there ?" 

" A Friend.^' 

" Advance and give the countersign." 

" KoscmszkoP 

" Pass, Friend. What's the hour ?" 

" On the stroke of one." 

Can it be, thought I, that time has flown so rapidly ? 
Two hours had ghded by, and it had seemed but 
as a moment, so occupied had been my mind with 
bright reflections and brighter anticipations. 

The rehef came in a few moments, and after the 
usual manoeuvres I returned to the guard -house, and 
enjoyed four hours respite in a comfortable doze. 

A few nights after this a very remarkable appear- 
ance of the heavens took place. Loud conversation on 
the back porch of our quarters awakened me about 
midnight, and the unusual lightness of the sky in- 
duced me to think that there was a large fire in the 
neighborhood of the barracks ; but upon coming into 
the open air I was struck with admiration at the beau- 
tifully strange aspect of the stars. It seemed as if 
every one of them was jumping from its sphere ; 
ling^ering for a moment in the air, then darting for- 
ward, leaving in its train a glittering corruscation. 

After my first moment of surprise subsided, 1 was 
induced to laugh outright at the remarks of a cow- 
ardly fellow, who read in this strange phenomenon the 
prophecy of some terrible event. 

I remembered to have once heard of a lady in 
Connecticut remarkable for her ingenuity. One even- 
ing, at a ball, her dress attracted a good deal of atten- 
tion, and some inquisitive being prying into the secret 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 55 

of it, found that the ingenious fair one had caught and 
imprisoned in the folds of her dress some hundred 
dazzling fire-bugs. This gUtteringof the stars called 
to my mind the dress of the Yankee lady. 

The next morning nothing else was talked about 
in the barracks but the falling stars. 

Two or three fine matches were made up between 
some of our nags, which afforded us a good day's 
sport the next day, and proved that we could boast of 
having some superior horses in the regiment. 

We have had a large number of desertions take 
place within the last few days, and, with the exception 
of a very few only, they have got beyond the reach 
of apprehension as yet. There appears, however, 
to be more cheerfulness now prevailing throughout 
the regiment : our prospective journey has had a fa- 
vourable impression upon most of the dragoons. As 
I before mentioned, we start to-morrow. I intend 
keeping a journal, and will transmit to you whatever 
may occur worthy of notice. Please continue to send 
me papers, and superscribe your communications here- 
after, " Fort Gibson." 

P. S. I took a little jaunt by special permission to 
St. Louis* the other day, and met our old friend J. D. 
I had no time to make observations, as my pass ex- 
tended only till sundown, or, in military phraseology, 
^' Retreat." 

* I hope that I may be excused for making the following 
somewhat lengthy extract from the " Winter in the West." It 
will, I hope, serve to supply my own omission of remarks upon 
this Western city. Mr. Hoffman thus speaks of this place : — 

"It was too late in the evening to cross when we arrived op- 
posite to St, liOuis, and I amused myself before retiring fur the 
night in listening to the sound of the church-bells — the first I 
had heard in many a month — and watching the lights as they 



56 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

LETTER VIIL 



Commencement of march to Fort Gibson — Supper at a Squatter*a 
hut — Various Encampments — Scenes along the road — Description 
of a rolling Prairie — Description of the remains of an Indian town 
—A Speculator — Punishment for neghgence — Crossing the IlHnois 
River — ^Description of a cane-brake — Arrival at Fort Gibson — Re- 
marks upon Soldiers — Incident in a grave yard. 

Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation , 

Arkansas Territory, Dec 1833. 

My Dear Sir, 

You may well imagine how thankful I was to re- 
ceive your kind letter accompanying the package of 

danced along the lines of the dusky city, and were reflected in 
the dark rolling river. We crossed in time for breakfast, and 
I am now tolerably established at the best hotel in the place. 

" Here, the Spaniard, the Frenchman, and the American 
have in turn held rule, and their blood, with no slight sprink- 
ling of that of the aborigines, now commingles in the veins of 
its inhabitants. 

"The aspect of the town partakes of the characteristics of 
all its [original possessors : in one section you find the broad 
steep-roofed stone edifices of the French, with the Spaniard's 
tall stuccoed dwelling raising its tiers of open corridors above 
them, like a once showy but half defaced galleon in a fleet of 
battered frigates ; while another will present you only with the 
clipper-built brick houses of the American residents, — light as 
a Baltimore schooner, and pert-looking as a Connecticut smack. 
The town, which is situated about eighteen miles below the 
mouth of the Missouri, lies on two plateaux, extending along 
the Mississippi for some miles. The first of these steppes rises 
gently from the water, till, at the distance of about a hundred 
yards, it becomes perfectly level, and aflfords a fine plane for 
the main street of the place, which runs parallel to the river* 
An acclivity, rather longer and steeper, then intervenes, when 
the eecond plateau commences, and runs back a perfectly level 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 57 

papers. Many thanks for them : and allow me to re- 
quest a frequent repetition of such favors. 

I have much to say, but lack the time to express it. 
I will however send you the inclosed sheets, in hopes 

plain, extending for miles in every direction. This plain, near 
the town, is covered with shrub oaks and other undergrowth ; 
but it finally assumes the character of a naked prairie, which 
probably, at no very distant time, extended here to the banks 
of the Mississippi. 

"That part of the town imme;liate1y upon the river is built, 
in a great measure, on a rock that lies a few feet beneath the 
surface of the soil ; the stone excavated in digging the cellars 
affording a fine material for the erection of some substantial 
warehouses that line the wharf. The site for a great city, 
apart from its admirable geographical position, is one of the 
finest that could be found; and having been laid out of late 
years iti modern style, with broad rectangular streets, St. Louia 
will, however it may increase in size, always be an airy, cheer- 
ful-looking place. But its streets command no interesting 
prospects, and indeed the town has nothing of scenic beauty in 
its position, unless viewed from beneath the boughs of the im- 
mense trees on the alluvial bottom opposite, when the white- 
washed walls and gray stone parapets of the old French houses 
present rather a romantic appearance. The most interesting 
objects at St. Louis are several ot' those singular ancient 
mounds, which, commencing in the western part of the State 
of New-York, and reaching, as Hunjboldt tells us, to the inte- 
rior of Mexico, have so entirely set at naught the ingenuity of 
the antiquary. The mounds in the north suburb of St. Louis 
occupy a commanding position on the Mississippi, and cover 
ground enough for a large body of men to encamp upon. They 
stand distinct from each other, generally in the form of trun- 
cated pyramids, with a perfect rectangular base. Atone point 
four or five tumuli are so grouped together as to form nearly 
two sides of a square, while at another, several hundred yards 
off, two or more detached moands rise singly from the plain. 
The summit of one of these is occupied by a public reservoir, 
for furnishing the town with water; the supply is forced up to 



58 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

that you may find interest enough in them to warrant 
the reading. They are the notes that I at various 
times took upon the road, you must therefore make 

the tank by a steam-engine on the banks of the river, and sub- 
sequently distributed by pipes throughout the city. This 
mound, with the exception of one or two inclosed within the 
grounds of General Ashley, is the only one fenced from the 
destruction that always, sooner or later, overtakes such unpro- 
ductive property, when in the suburbs of a rapidly growing 
city. It is a subject of surprise that, considering the want cf 
public squares in the town, individual taste and public spirit do 
not unite to preserve these beautiful eminences in their exact 
forms, and connect them by an inclosure, with shrubbery and 
walks, thus forming a promenade that might be the pride of 
St. Louis. The prettily cultivated gardens in the environs, 
and the elegance and costliness of more than one private dwell- 
ing in the heart of the town, evince that neither taste nor 
means are wanting to suggest and carry into effect such an 
improvement. 

"I am so little of an adept at estimating measurements, that 
I will not attempt to guess at the size of these mounds : they 
are much the largest that I have yet seen ; but none of them 
can compare with the innnense parallelogram near the Caho- 
kia, in Illinois, which Mr. Flint describes as eight hundred 
yards in circumference, and ninety feet in height — one side of 
it alone affording a terraced garden for the monks of La 
Trappe, who had a monastery among the group of two hun- 
dred tumuli around. 

" The population of St. Louis may be estimated at seven or 
eight thousand ; and there are four or five churches and a 
noble cathedral belonging to the different religious persuasions. 
The inhabitants derive their wealth from the rich lead mines 
of their own state, and from the trade of the Upper Mississippi, 
the Missouri, and the Illinois. The burthensome steamboats 
from New-Orleans reach here at the lowest stage of the river ; 
and here you may see riv^er craft of every shape and form, 
from the thousand beatable tributaries of the Mississippi, clus- 
tering around the wharfs. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 59 

all due allowances for errors and illegibility. The 
pressing duties of my station will not allow me the 
time for further comment. My notes commence at — 

Camp Burbees, November 20/A, 1833o 

This day dawned auspiciously. Our march is 
commenced, and our men seem in better spirits. We 
spent all the morning in preparation, and it was not 
until noon when the rear of our line passed through 
the postern gate of the barracks. This has been a 
busy day. After the labor of loading the baggage 
wagons and preparing of supplies, the bngle sounded 
the assembly-call, and each troop formed upon its re- 
spective stable ground. The several troops now un- 
derwent a thorough inspection, and after performing 
many preliminary evolutions and manoeuvres, the sig- 
nal for general assembly called us to form in regimental 
line upon the parade ground. 

Colonel Dodge now for the first time took command 
and gave the order to " march." 

Our cavalcade consisted of the regiment, baggage 
wagons and retainers, disposed in the following order : 
Captain Wharton's company "A" taking the right, and 
the wagons attached to his troop bringing up in 
its rear ; next followed the other troops in the same 
order, with the exception of Captain Hunter's compa- 

" In no town of the west do you find such a variety of peo- 
ple and character as in St. Louis; and here, in fact, only, 
where more than one '' last of the boatmen" still lingers, have 
you an opportunity of studying tliat singular class of beings 
the engages (as they are called) of the fur trade — fellows that 
talk of a trip to the Rocky Mountains as you would speak of a 
turn on the Battery; and think as much of an Indian encoun= 
ter as a city blcod doea of a " spree " with a watchman.'* 



60 SRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

ny " D/' which had been appointed for guard. I'h^ 
prisoners, consisting of eighteen men under sentence 
for desertion, and other capital offences, were made to 
walk hand-cuffed and chained, some with a cannon ball 
to the leg, flanked on either side by the rear guard. 
And thus commenced the Regiment of Dragoons their 
first march. 

We proceeded but three or four miles from the Bar- 
racks the first day, and halted by a clear stream of 
water that glides through that sterile region of scrub 
oaks extending for miles round about the region of 
St. Louis. And now commenced a scene of novelty 
and excitement. Clearing away the underbrush, we 
pitched our white canvass tents, soon rearing an im- 
posing encampment. Driving down our picket posts 
we secured our horses, and after having fed and 
cleaned them, began to make preparations for our own 
comfortable lodging and supper. Accordingly piling 
tosfether large heaps of logs, we soon liad many a 
blazing fire snapping and cracking throughout the 
encampment. The greater portion of the men having 
become tired and fatigued with the day's duty, retired^ 
soon after tattoo, to seek repose upon the ground, un- 
der the shelter of their canvass coverings. 

The encampment extended over a considerable 
space of gromid, each troop having pitched their tents 
in two rows, about twenty paces apart, facing inwards, 
with the horses picketed in the centre of the interven- 
ing space ; the tents occupied by the field-officers 
were in a line opposite their respective troops, six 
paces in rear, and the staff-officers occupying a station 
still six paces in rear of them. 

Our blazing log heaps sent forth volumes of smoke 
and flame, and cast a glare of light over the whole 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 61 

surrounding scene, and now and then the full moon 
would break forth from behind the thick clouds and 
throw her pale light Over our encampment. To a 
young and enthusiastic soldier this scene was one of 
peculiar interest, and it served to keep me from seek- 
ing repose, although I was weary and worn with 
fatigue and excitement ; but rather preferring to in- 
dulge in a naturally romantic disposition, 1 remained 
sauntering throughout the encampment for the greater 
portion of the night. There was a something savor- 
ing of romance in every thing around me even the 
loud neighing of our horses, or the challenge of the 
sentinels, carried with their sound a thrilling tone of 
interest. 

The life of a soldier differs very much from what 
one uninitiated would suppose it. It has its scenes 
of hardship and trial, but on the other hand, novelty 
and excitement are in the scale against them ; and 
although the homely duties of the stable and the mess 
claim a portion of the soldier's time and attention, yet 
there are moments and hours in his life when he for- 
gets all these, and gives way to joyousness and plea- 
sure, and many another happy feeling that the scenes 
around him are G^ilculated to give rise to. 

The bright blazing logheaps had now become piles 
of smoking embers ; the third relief had just posted 
the sentinels for their last watch, and still was I lin- 
gering amid this scene of novelty, regardless that the 
time had flown away so swiftly. Retiring to my tent, I 
had hardly thrown myself upon the ground, when the 
reveille called us to commence the duties of another 
day, and the encampment that a few moments before 
had been silent and deserted, now became speedily 
transformed into " the busy haunt of men." 

6 



62 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 

An hour before sunrise found us upon our second 
day's march ; and having again organized our batta- 
Hon as the day before, with the exception of Capt, 
Wharton's Company having reheved Capt. Hunter's 
from the guard duty, our troop took the right of ttie 
regiment. We traveled this day about twenty mile& 
over a portion of country somewhat improved from 
the day before, and passed through a long straggling 
log town that bears the somewhat incongruous cog- 
nomen of Manchester •, and about an hour before 
sundown again pitched our encampment in a beautiful 
little valley, through which a clear stream of water 
winded its meandering course. The third day we 
made an early move, and gained several miles upon 
our route before the sun peered out from the horizon. 
The road was a tedious and toilsome one, leading 
over high mountains, sometimes peculiarly steep and 
rocky ; consequently we moved along but slowly. 
We marched this day twenty-three miles, and brought 
the time to tattoo before we encamped. Nothing of 
special interest as yet took place upon the road. Our 
horses, which had been somewhat restive on the pre- 
ceding nights, now became more quiet, and their 
guard was allowed to be diminished,^ 

Nov. 24. Marched seventeen miles over a more 
level road than yesterday. Struck into a new path 
off of the main track, in some places so narrow that 
it was impossible for two horses to travel abreast. An 
hour before sundown struck out again upon the main 
path, and encamped half an hour before retreat. The 
weather still continued clear and favorable. 

The scenery of the surrounding country was the 
most strikingly picturesque and romantic that I had 
ever seen. Mountains and valleys so richly thrown 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 63 

J^ogether ; forests and prairies so beautifully inter- 
spersed ; the elm and sycamore towered high in the 
air ; the ledges of broken rocks emitted forth their 
tiny torrents, which gently meandered on their 
course through the tangled foliage. 

It Avas now sunset — behind the far west hills his last 
rays cast up a golden halo which reflected over the 
surrounding scenery : gradually he declined, and the 
shades of twilight began to gather ; the imagination 
might in the distant view conjure up villages, and 
spires, and hamlets ; but reality interposing, would 
speedily convert them into the wild uncultured re- 
gions of native solitude. 

As our regiment moved forward over the scene, it 
seemed like an intrusion upon its silent grandeur ; 
any thing like civilization here would break the har- 
mony of the scene. 

An opening in the wood afforded a beautiful spot 
to eni2amp, and we pitched our tents along the margin 
of a clear stream that yielded us a delicious draught 
of nature's purest beverage. 

Tattoo had sounded — most of my companions 
liad sought repose upon the ground : a few still lin- 
gered around the camp fires. I was seated alone, 
raking together the decaying embers, fatigued and 
hungry, musingly meditating over the events of the 
day, when I was suddenly accosted by two of my 
comrades : 

'*' Will you sup with us to-night V asked one. 

The allusion to supper roused me, but when I 
bethought myself for a moment of the place we were 
then in, I laughed at my own eagerness. 

" I have ordered supper for three to-night,"' continu- 
ed corporal Tim, in his usual strain of dryness ; 
^^ will you accompany us or not ?" 



64 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

" Where, in the name of Heaven ?" I inquired. 

" Come along and I'll show you ; silence now till 
we pass the sentry. Sh — sh sh ." 

" There, now we're safe. Now I'll explain, for I 
see you look rather doubtingly ; and in truth a good 
right you have to look so," continued he, " consider- 
ing the place we're in ; who'd ever think of finding 
a dwelling amidst such a scene as this ?" 

" True," I answered, " some strange being indeed, 
if perchance any one." 

" What ! still doubting ?" answered the corporal. 
" Do you see that light yonder through the trees ?" 

" I do." 

" There we sup to-night," said Tim ; " my eyes 
serve me a good turn now and then, and whilst you 
are spying out the beauties of rocky precipices, and 
measuring the altitude of mountains and sycamores, 
I keep a look out for something more palatable." 

This indeed proved true, for after a few minutes 
walk the corporal led us to a small log cabin that we 
had not observed from the road ; and upon entering, 
we found the interior to be much more comfortable 
than appearances indicated from without. 

It may not be out of place here for a few moments 
to arrest the thread of our narrative, and revert to 
that class of people that are only to be found in the 
wild and unsettled regions of the west, called Squatters. 

It was recorded of Daniel Boon, (whose history is 
familiar to every one that has ever read or heard of 
the early settlement of Kentucky, and indeed all the 
settlements to the westward of it up to the time of his 
death,) that he thought it high time to remove when 
he could no longer fell a tree, so that its top would lie 
within a few yards of his cabin door, thus proving his 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 65 

altachment to the luxury of variety, by removing as 
often as he had rendered his last place of abode fit to 
live in. Thousands of other instances may be noticed, 
where men of restless and enterprising dispositions 
have left the well-tilled farms of their ancestors and 
removed to settle upon the wild lands of the west ; and 
thousands, too, have been richly rewarded for their 
temerity, when, unlike Daniel Boon, they remained 
long enough upon their new possessions to reap the 
reward of their labors. Old men, with their heads 
silvered o'er with more than sixty winters, and that 
now dwell west of the waters of the Mississippi, daily 
make inquiry of every one that they may chance to 
meet from any place west of them, about the state of 
the land, and how it would do to settle there. 

This spirit of enterprise, which may be considered 
as one of the peculiar characteristics of this country 
people, may be the better appreciated by him who 
visits the squatter's cabin, amid the unregenerated 
regions of the west : he may imagine that he will find 
there only the half civilized being, surrounded by his 
wife and offspring, as uncouth and rude as himself ; 
but indeed, although in some instances this may 
chance to be the case, yet how much oftener will he 
find the inmate of the squatter's cabin to be full as 
gentle and refined, often better informed, and gene- 
rally by far more kind and hospitable, than the inhabi- 
tants of cities, wlio dwell among the luxuries, and 
refinementSj and pleasures of civilized society. To 
test the truth of this, let him who doubts traverse 
over that yet uncultured region where the squatter 
seeks to dwell, far removed from the busy hum of 
the world ; where the hardy and sun-burned father 
of the family plies his axe amid the forest trees 

6* 



66 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

through the day with cheerfulness and alacrity, and 
returns to his evening meal in happy mood, either 
spread upon the grass-plot before his door, or upon 
the rough table by the blazing logheap within his 
cabin : whilst his wife diligently sits at her loom or 
spinning-wheel, as happy as contentment can make 
her, her hardy boys may be perchance chasing the 
deer or buffalo over the prairies, or leveling the bee 
tree, or in some other way procuring food for the 
family support ; whilst the girls, too, often as bloom- 
ing as the opening rose, culture the little garden, or 
perform the different employments suited to their age 
and sex. 

Often have I envied the cheerfulness, the buoyancy, 
the unaffected joyousness of such a family. Remov- 
ed far from the world, if they enjoy not its pleasures, 
neither do they participate in its pains ; to them the 
happiness of each other is their purest source of joy. 
The noise of aspiring mortals reaches them not ; no 
angry strife and jarring discord surrounds them ; their 
only sovereign is the God of nature, and they alone 
obey his mandates, and are subject to his power. If 
summer smiles upon them, the forest, the prairie, and 
the stream afford them an abundance both for pre- 
sent supply, and enough to lay up against the season 
when the winter shall encompass them about with 
ice and snow. 

So far from pitying the condition of the squatter, I 
hold him to be by far a happier man than he who 
plods his way through life eternally amidst the noisy, 
smoky, jostling streets of a crowded city, subject to 
the taunts and jeers of the world, for ever embroiled 
in its cares, liable to its vicissitudes, with his mind 
continually occupied in its sordid pursuits, grasping 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 67 

after its honors, striving for its wealth, and, to say the 
least, subject to its opinions. 

But to return — the squatter's cabin to which my 
companion had conducted me, was the home of such 
a happy family as I have attempted to describe ; and 
the welcome that we received from the good mother 
was a warm and cordial one. After having intimated 
that we were absentees without leave from camp, 
and that our desire was to procure if possible some- 
thing for supper that might be more palatable than 
the salt pork and hard bread rations that we began 
to grow tired of already, she betook herself to work 
in good earnest, and without delay set before us a 
meal that might satisfy the cravings of the most dainty 
palate in Christendom. Sweet corn-bread, fresh from 
the coals, honey, cream, and venison, were the ingre- 
dients of this delicious and savory meal ; and, as might 
reasonably be expected, we did an^ple justice to it. 

Glancing around the apartment, I noticed the fur- 
niture of this rude dwelling, and, from many apparent 
vestiges of former times, I conjectured that this family 
was also one of that adventurous and roving charac- 
ter that are to be daily seen locating themselves in 
this region of our country ; and the singular contrast 
that one might observe between the rude implements 
of husbandry and still ruder pieces of home-made 
furniture, and the more civilized heirlooms of other 
days, was peculiarly striking. About the walls of 
the only apartment that the dwelling contained, were 
displayed the antlers of the elk and the broad horns 
of the buffalo, together with the skins of the bear and 
wolf ; but particularly did I notice the two portraits 
of the squatter and his wife that faced each other 
across the cabin, and amid so rude a scene they wore 



68 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

a far diiFerent appearance than if they had graced the 
drawing-room of a city residence. 

When our meal had been got ready, the mother 
of the Uttle group of white-headed children (the 
apartment boasted of more than I felt inclined to 
count,) took a large iron spoon filled with lard, stuck 
it between a crevice in the wall, and appending 
thereto a bit of rag, which being lighted, served us 
for a candle, and seating herself beside our table, she 
did the honors of hostess with all the attention that 
it was possible for us to have received. 

This being the first squatter family that 1 had ever 
visited, I formed an opinion of their mode of life from 
the scene around me which I have not yet had reason 
to alter : it brought forcibly to my mind the beautiful 
lines of Pope : 

" Happy the man whose wish and care 
" A few paternal acres bound, 
" Content to breathe his native air 
" On his own ground," &c. 

Having settled for our supper, and bought an extra 
loaf or two of corn-bread, we bent our steps back to 
camp. 

The full moon now cast a lovely light over the 
scene ; our white tents glimmered amid the forest 
trees, and in the distance the high hills rose fainter 
and fainter till lost in the shadows of night. No 
sound but the murmur of the rivulet broke upon the 
ear, save now and then the neighing of the horses as 
they quietly grazed around the encampment. A few 
of our companions still remained around the log fires. 

I retired to my tent, but not to sleep ; and the bugle 
note ere long again summoned us to enter upon the 
duties of another day. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 69 

Sunday, November 25th. 

Up before sunrise and on the march. Cloudy all 
the morning, and after dinner it began to snow. We 
traveled seventeen miles over some barrens and 
oak openings : the weather becoming quite cold, we 
encamped about 3 o'clock P. M. Two of our men 
that had been apprehended as deserters, were brought 
mto camp and placed in custody of the guard. The 
next day we traveled over a better road, but the 
country presented much the same appearance ; we 
found some excellent streams of water along our 
course, and now and then a fine fat buck that one or 
another of our men would bring into camp, added 
to our supply of rations. 

The route now began to grow more and more in- 
teresting as the country improved. Our next day's 
march led us over a beautiful undulating prairie, 
which, although at this time of the year it presented 
none of that enchanting appearance that the prairie 
wears during the spring season, still presented a 
lovely view, especially in contrast with the barren 
tract that we had been for several days traveling 
over. I lingered behind this morning, and when 
about six or eight miles in advance of me, the regi- 
ment, as they defiled over this lonely little prairie, 
looked like a spangled serpent . coiling over a rich 
green carpet. Having obtained leave of absence for 
the morning, I lingered alone along the road, and, 
glad to be for a time freed from the strict and me- 
chanical movements of the regiment, I remained till 
the bugle sounded the retreat. 

We now began to find a scarcity of fodder for our 
horses, and hoarded our corn with more care, having 
but ten ears a day for each horse, and oftentimes no 
other feed. 



70 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

Camp Delaware, Dcccmher 8tlu 
During the three succeecUng days we had a very 
toilsome and diversified route to travel over, and ford- 
ed the streams of the big and little Piony, and the 
Osage branch of the Gasconade, and clambered over 
several ledges of steep and rocky hills, which weari- 
ed both men and horses ; and on the eighteenth day 
of our march, entered upon the Kickapoo prairie, 
which is the commencement of that immense chain 
of prairie land that extends in broken patches to 
the Rocky Mountains. This day, however, we met 
with one of the most interesting scenes upon our 
whole route. 

It was drawing towards the close of the day, when 
at a little distance we descried a cluster of huts that 
we imagined might be a squatter settlement, but 
upon a nearer approach, found it to be the remains of 
a log-town long since evacuated, that had formerly 
been the settlement of a tribe of the Delawares, at 
one time one of the most powerful tribes among our 
aborigines, and holding a high rank among them 
for their prowess and courage ; but now, if indeed 
any of the tribe remains, they have become so scat- 
tered as to have lost all recognition as a nation. The 
site was a beautiful one ; and the associations that 
were connected with it, as well as the many vestiges 
of rude art that remained about it, invested this spot 
with many pleasing sources of reflection. As we 
entered the town, our regiment slackened their pace, 
and slowly rode through this now silent ruin. 

A small space of cleared land encompassed the set- 
tlement, but scarce large enough to relieve it from 
the deep gloom of the lofty and surrounding forest of 
aged oaks. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 71 

Scattered along on either side of the road were the 
mouldering ruins of these once cheerful but now deso- 
late dwellings. The huts were small, containing but 
one apartment, built of logs, many of which had be- 
come so decayed as to have fallen to the ground, and 
the whole was covered with a rich coat of moss. . 
How long they had been standing we were unable to 
learn, but from the evident marks of antiquity which 
they Avore, they must have been of extreme age. 
Many mounds now were heaped over those that have 
been returned to their native dust upon their own 
soil ; and although this tribe has become extinct, still 
they have left behind them many vestiges of their 
former skill and achievements. Scattered through- 
out the town may still be seen standing the patriarch 
oaks, that serve to transmit to posterity the deeds of 
prowess of this warrior tribe. On the broad surface 
of these trees may still be seen rudely, but graphi- 
cally carved, the Tableaux of their bloody contests. 
Having lingered behind the regiment, I stopped to 
take a more satisfactory view of these relics than 
could be had by merely passing through the town, 
and accordingly I had an opportunity the more 
minutely to observe some of these curious traces of 
Indian skill and genius. 

One presented in the foreground the figure of a 
victorious chief, standing with one foot upon the 
breast of his fallen foe, while his right arm was 
stretched aloft grasping the fatal hatchet ; the fallen 
savage had been disarmed, and thus being deprived 
of the power to resist, seemed rather willing to die 
than to yield. Although years have rolled away and 
many a rude and wintry blast has swept over the 
forest since the last Indian lingered around this spot^ 



72 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

Still time and the elements seemed to have had but 
little effect upon these almost sacred vestges ; they 
still possess much of their original beauty, both of de- 
sign and execution ; and even in the countenances of 
the chiefs might be traced something of the passions 
that pervaded their minds. 

Many other groups of figures, all engaged in dead- 
ly combat, were carved in the back ground of the 
picture. Upon other trees were represented scenes of 
Indians hunting the elk and buffalo ; and the natura,l. 
although rude, delineation of the scenes which 
they represented would not disgrace the pencil of 
a more civilized age and nation. 

A mere description of these rude scenes cannot 
convey any idea of the emotion that one feels when 
standing in the midst of them ; it may indeed convey 
some faint idea of their existence and appearance, but 
when upon the spot every tree and mound, and even 
the very whistle of t?ie wind through the branches, 
seems fraught with some feeling of interest. 

We encamped this night upon the top of a ridge of 
high land, from which situation we had a delightful 
and extensive view of the surrounding country. 

The greater portion of our msn had spent most of 
their money, during the first three or four days of our 
march, along the road, for corn-bread, honey, and 
other little delicacies that might be obtained, and 
served to give a more savory flavor to the homely 
rations which they received from government; but 
we had one fellow among us whose pockets seemed 
to increase in value just in proportion as the others 
diminished ; bearing the formidable name of Turpin* 

*The name of Richard Turpin is perhaps familiar to most 
readers. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 73 

he was nevertheless more disposed to ^et gain in the 
manner of speculation than to emulate the example of 
his more adventurous namesake. Every moment 
that he was not actually under the eye of his officers 
he spent in striving to make a barter or bargain with 
some of his companions, whereby he was always sure 
to be the gainer ; but one thing troubled him most 
sorely, and seemed to be a serious drawback to his 
operations, that is, it so fell out that full half of his 
time was spent in the guard house ; and consequently, 
after he had managed to do all that he could to make 
a little out of his fellow-prisoners, his mind would 
pine for liberty, that he might, in some way or other, 
continue to gratify his favorite propensity. This fel- 
low used to take every opportunity to get away from 
camp in the night, and scour the whole country round 
in quest of some place where he might buy articles of 
food, which he was always sure to offer for sale next 
morning; and money being a thing of less value 
among the greater portion of our m.en than somethino- 
whereby to satisfy hunger, they seldom quarreled 
about the price, provided they could buy the article. 
The twentieth day of our march gave rise to an 
incident for which I shall always particularly remem- 
ber it. Having accidentally left my carbine standino- 
against a tree upon our camp ground, I had mounted 
and proceeded several miles upon the route before it 
was observed that it was among the missing. Hav^- 
ing carried them slung across our backs, we had be- 
come so used to the sensation of their being there that 
we could not tell, without feeling, whether they were 
there or not ; and thus, when the gun had been handed 
to the Captain, I shrugged my shoulders in conscious- 
ness that mine was upon my back ; but in a few mo- 

7 



74 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 

ments the Captain, ordering myself to ride to the froirf, 
handed me the gun, and asked if it was mine ; to my 
Tatter astonishment and confusion I found it to be so. 
I had been deceived by the feeling of my back, for 
having so long been in the habit of having the gun 
slung there, the sensation may, in a manner, be liken- 
ed to that of one who has had a skate strapped to his 
foot all day, when he takes it off he cannot for an hour 
after help thinking it still to be there. However, 1 
was ordered to dismount and to lead my horse in 
h'ont of the regiment during the day. This turned 
out to be a severe punishment, for the day's travel 
was one of peculiar toil and hardship, and for twenty- 
three miles, over a hilly and rough road, I was 
obliged to lead my horse in penance for my negli- 
gence. 

This day we crossed the boundary line between the 
State of Missouri and the Arkansas Territory, and 
traveled over some very heavy hills. In the evening 
some of our companies having taken a wrong road, 
became detached from the main body of the com- 
mand; and brought the time to near eleven at night 
before we ag'ain assembled at our camp ground. The 
next morning we passed through a smart little town 
called Fayetteville, and encamped in the evening 
upon a beautiful spot about three miles distant from 
it. The face of the country had now become much 
improved, and instead of the patches of scrub oaks 
through which we had been traveling, we now met 
with heavy forests of large oaks, elms and pekaun 
trees, and now and then a clump of pines that retain- 
ed their beautiful green appearance throughout the 
winter, and relieved the more sombre hue of their 
companions. We now urged our horses to greater 



DKAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 75 

exertions, and for several days averaged twenty-five 
miles, whichj in our unprovided condition, was good 
traveling. 

Camp Illinois, December 16tli. 

One, perhaps, of the most remarkable events upon 
•our route took place last night. It was about ten 
o'clock^ and the darkest night that I ever experi- 
enced. When we arrived at the bank of the Illinois 
River, our orders were to cross it and pitch our en- 
"Campment upon the opposite bank ; and it has ever 
since seemed to me to have been a miracle that this 
order was carried into effect without the occurrence 
of a single mishap. The only discernible object 
was the lantern upon the opposite shore that served 
to designate the spot to which we were to shape our 
course ; and having nothing else to guide us, we al- 
lowed our horses to take their own course, and trust 
to chance for safety. The road that led to the bank 
of the river was upon the top of a ridge that sloped 
•down on either side almost perpendicularly for a dis- 
tance of from forty to sixty feet ; unconsciously we 
had pursued our way along this dangerous path, 
which, in daylight, would (as I observed next morn- 
ing) have presented somewhat of a formidable ap- 
pearance ; however, fortunately for us, we crossed the 
river in safety, swimming our horses and leaving on 
the opposite shore only our baggage-wagons, which 
we m.anaged to get across next morning. 

The most surprising part of the story is yet untold. 
The tops of the trees which grew below, were in 
some places on a level with the ridge over which we 
were traveling; and accidentally drawing the left 



76 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

curb-rein, my horse stept aside, and placing one fore- 
foot upon a large limb which projected from the 
trunk in a horizontal line, actually became the occu- 
pant of the top of an old oak tree. Immediately 
recognizing my danger, I scarce knew what to do ; 
but reining my horse backwards by a movement as 
singular as it was providential, regained a footing 
upon terra fir ma. 

Camp Sandij, December 18th. 

We remained all the next day at our encampment 
on the bank of the Illinois, and started the following 
morning before the break of day upon our march ; 
and about four o'clock the same afternoon passed Fort 
Gibson, keeping on our course for about two miles, 
through a thick canebrake, to the bank of the Neosho 
or Grand River, a stream that empties into the Ar- 
kansas, near the confluence of the Verdigris ; it is 
about eighty yards wide, with a pebbled bottom, and 
the water extremely clear and transparent. Fort Gib- 
son stands upon this stream, about two miles from its 
mouth. 

Although the name of a canebrake may be familiar 
to you, yet a description may not be out of place here. 
To the eye of a northerner, at first view, the canebrake 
presents a novel and delightful aspect ; the one through 
which we now traveled, although not as extensive 
as many throughout the country, was still large 
enough to extend beyond the reach of the eye. 
Stretching itself along the margin of the river, it pre- 
sented an apparently impenetrable breastwork of dense 
green. Its tall and slender stem rears itself in the 
air to the height of thirty or forty iQet^ and, tower- 
ing above their heads, the massive oaks that grow to 



3&RAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 7T 

^n immense size upon the rich bottom-land, seem to 
have been wisely placed here to protect the tender 
cane-stalk from the rude blasts that sweep over the 
forests. From the intersecting joints of the cane grow- 
long and spiral bunches of leaves, which retain their 
life and greenness throughout the winter ; and what 
more particularly rendered the first view of a cane- 
brake interesting to us, was the striking contrast it 
presented to the more sterile and decayed regions 
through which we had passed. We found it extremely 
difficult to make our way through it to the spot upon 
which we were to pitch our encampment ; the stalks 
were so large and close together that our horses could 
not move forward without breaking through by main 
force. As Major Long observes in the journal of his 
expedition, when speaking of this very spot, " Making 
our way with excessive toil among these gigantic 
gramina^ our party might be said to resemble a company 
of rats traversing a sturdy field of grass. The cane 
stalks, after being trodden to the ground,often inflicted, 
in virtue of their elasticity, blov/s as severe as they 
were unexpected. It is not to be supposed that our 
horses alone felt the inconvenience of this sort of tra- 
veling, we ourselves received severe blows inflicted 
upon various parts of our bodies, and had our faces 
and hands scratched by the rough edges of the leaves ; 
and oftentimes, as our attention was otherwise direct- 
ed, we caught with our feet and had dragged across 
our shins the inflexible stalks of the green briar." 

After having several times countermarched and re- 
traced our steps through this unplea.sant pathway, 
some misunderstanding having arisen about the spot 
upon which we were to pitch our tents, expresses 
were sent from our regiment to the fort to consult with 
7* 



78 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

Col. Arbuckle in relation to the most eligible situation ; 
and at length it was settled that we should encamp for 
the night upon a sand-bar that projected about half 
way across the Grand River ; and accordingly we 
made our way, in the manner I have before described, 
through the cane to this place, which received the 
name of Camp Sandy ; and truly I believe no dragoon 
of the command will ever forget the day of our arri- 
val there ; weariness and extreme fatigue were de- 
picted upon every countenance ; and now, indeed, (as 
we have since experienced during our stay here,) 
we would willingly have drained our pockets of 
the last copper for a morsel of bread. I never be- 
fore saw so many half-starved men together ; the 
greater portion of us had eaten scarce a mouthful 
since our departure from the Illinois river two days 
previous ; our rations had become so bad that it was 
almost impossible to swallow them. Soon as the bu- 
siness of pitching our encampment and picketing our 
horses was over, some of us obtained permission to 
visit tTie fort, and as may be supposed, our first inquiry 
was for bread, which however proved to be almost as 
scarce an article there as among the dragoons ; but we 
soon obtained enough to satisfy present hunger, and 
then began to make acquaintance with our new 
friends, the sixth regiment of infantry. Our welcome 
and reception among these men were warm hearted 
and cordial. Here, in such situations, and among 
men so circumstanced, may be found the true spirit 
of benevolence and charity ; stationed as they are, iso- 
lated and alone, far away from the busy scenes of 
commerce and marts of traffic, they imbibe a natural 
eagerness to hear from those scenes where they had 
been familiar in other days ; and any one that goes 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 79 

among them from the land of their former associa- 
tions, meets with that whole-souled welcome that 
compensates him for a thousand hardships. 

It is citrious to search the countenances of the men 
that one meets with in the barrack-rooms of our west- 
ern garrisons, and although he may read in the fea- 
tures of some the life of the youthful spendthrift and 
libertine, and often the sunken cheek and hollow eye 
of the intemperate, yet there are to be found there 
those, too, who may be marked as the peculiar victims 
of misfortune and sorrow ; many whose bright dawn 
of youthful sunshine had been suddenly oversha- 
dowed by some unforeseen dark cloud, and who, with 
feelings too acute to bear up against adversity, have 
voluntarily become the inm.ates of the camp, hoping 
to find, amid its revelry and excitement, a solace for 
their broken and blasted hopes and anticipations. 

I have already listened to the sad story of many a 
heart-broken soldier as he has recounted the misfor- 
tunes that led to his enlistment, and as the tear-drop 
has trickled down his manly cheek, my soul has sick- 
ened within me. Here, where the soothing comforts 
of religion might exert its salutary influence over the 
mind, and prepare the spirit for its upward flight, is 
no religion to be found. No missionary thinks of the 
soldier; no chaplain, no Sabbath, are there for him; 
but every day alike brings with it its accustomed 
round of duties and labors. 



80 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 



Camp Sandy^ Thursday, December 20th» 

" There is a little church-yard by the wave 

" or a fair riv^er in an isle of wo ; 

'* A pensive school-boy marked it for his grave, 

*' And, now an exile wandering to and fro, 

^' He would not change for every joy below, 

*^ The blissful hope of moulderinir there at last. 

" Blow on, ye surliest winds of fortune, blow, 

*' He little recks it if his lot be cast 

" To rest by that dear stream when all your powers are 



There is a certain feeling that links the hearts of 
men together when placed in certain situations, that 
the man who has never traveled beyond the precincts 
of his paternal dwelling cannot appreciate. But let 
him wend his way to some lone corner of the earth, far 
away from every association connected with his 
former life, and see how his eye will linger over some 
scene that reminds him of his home ; how his ear will 
catch at any sound that speaks in familiar accents, 
and mark the affectionate grasp of the hand that he 
will bestow upon any fellow-being that he may meet, 
who has ever trodden the streets or breathed the air 
of his native land. 'Tis the exercise of this feeling 
of affinity that gives rise to the most joyous sensa- 
tions ; and he that for ever plods his way along the 
beaten track of life, without now and then roving 
from out the reach of its monotony, keeps the store- 
house of his better feelings locked even from himself 

It was towards sundown that I lingered amid the 
graves that crowd the burial ground at Fort Gibson. 

*Hymn to Nature by John M. Moore, Esq. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. ^ 81 

It is inclosed upon a little eminence that overlooks 
the prairie and the stream for a circuit of many a 
mile. Some of the mounds had stones erected at 
their heads, but by far the greater number bore no 
record of their mouldering inmates; they had died 
among strangers, and by strangers had they been 
buried. No tear-drop had been shed over their grave ; 
no father's or brother's hand had paid the last tribute 
to their memory by rearing a memorial over their 
remains. Borne to the grave amid the pomp and 
panoply of a military escort, their only requiem had 
been the loud report of arms ; but the grave makes all 
alike ; and when the whitened bones are deserted by 
the flesh that encompassed them, who could tell 
whether they had been 



"A haughty chieftain bearing sway, or lowlier, deslin'd to obey 



?" 



I noticed among the names upon the tomb-stones 
some that I had before known, but only one or two 
with whom I had ever been intimate ; one was a 

Lieut. D , a promising young officer, and the 

other a private, with whom I had formerly been a 
school companion. But the grave that I sought par- 
ticularly to find was unmarked by any thing whereby 
I might distinguish it from the others around it ; and 
after having searched in vain for several hours, I 
was about to return to camp, when an old man came 
up to me from an opposite direction, and seeing that I 
wore a soldier's garb, he addressed me without any 
hesitation, for among soldiers all are companions. 

" Your choice," said the old man, after the first salu- 
tation, "of a pleasure ground is rather strange; one 
would hardly think of seeing a young man in a grave- 
yard after dark, and alone.'' 



^^ ^ DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

'• I am a soldier, sir,*' I answered. 

••' Nevertheless," said the old man, " I know many a 
man that wears the blue who would rather face an 
Indian in broad daylight than cross a grave-yard at 
night ; but excuse an old man," said he, " I've been a 
soldier five-and-thirty years, and love the service yet. 
Yours is a fine regiment ! noble Colonel ! fine-hearted 
set of boys ! I shook hands with most all of them to- 
day — but I wont disturb you." 

As he was turning to go, I caught hold of his arm, 
and inquired if he had ever known a soldier by the 
name of Martin B . 

" Know Martin ? Why, 'besure I did ; the noblest 
hearted fellow in the world." 

" You knew him then," said I musingly. 

" Why, Martin and I were bunk-mates. Know him? 
Why, if he had been my own brother I could not have 
known him better — but," continued he, musingly, 
^' Martin was a sad fellow — always so sober. I never 
remember to have seen him laugh, no, not even as 
much as smile, in my life. But, poor fellow, he 
wasn't long for this world, and he went bravely out 
of it.'' 

" Do you know which is his grave ?" I inquired. 

"In yonder corner of the yard he lies, between 
Larry Davis and Jo. Smith, two fellows as much like 
him as two ramrods." 

I thought of the old adage — " Whom the gods love 
die young." 

The old man led me to the spot where Martin lay ; 
a small stone bore his initials, but the tall grass had 
grown over it and entirely obscured it from view. 

And here, thought I, lies Martin B , but four 

years ago among the most joyous of earth's sons, " the 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 83 

Observed of all observers " — but to rehearse his story 
here would be out of place— suffice it^ that misfortune 
tracked his footsteps and he fell— sickened at heart, 
he enlisted as a common soldier, and died shortly- 
after. 

Pardon me for this melancholy strain, but indeed 
'tis in consonance with my feelings. If there is aught 
in this long epistle that may serve to interest you, ac- 
cept with it the kind remembrance of your friend. 



LETTER IX. 



^e\x Camp— Stampedo— Description of Quarters in a rainy day- 
Evening Amusements. 

Camp Jaclzson^ Cherokee Nation^ A. T. 

U miles west of Fort Gibson, 1834. 

My dear Sir, 

Unusually early for this climate, the weather has 
set in extremely cold. Our poor horses have been 
suffering, as well as ourselves, for want of provender ; 
we could only procure corn enough for about half ra- 
tions, and in addition to this, endeavored to keep them 
alive by feeding them upon the leaves and tender 
stems of cane, which twice a day we cut from the 
brake. It forcibly reminded me of the prophecy in 
Shakspeare's tragedy of Macbeth, where Burnham 



84 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

forest is represented as being in motion, to see several 
hundred mounted soldiers with each a large bundle 
of green cane-stalks in his arms. This method, how- 
ever, soon became impracticable, and was abandoned; 
after which it was determined that the horses should 
be turned into the canebrake to provide for them- 
selves. Upon which, the next morning, each man 
was ordered to mount his horse with bridles only, and 
after riding into the midst of the canebrake, to leave 
them ; but scarce had we reached the outer edge of 
the wood and crossed the little hayou which separated 
it from an open grove of elms, than the rattling of 
horses hoofs began to clatter more and more distinctly, 
and in a moment more the whole drove, headed by a 
powerful black leader, commenced a grand stampedo, 
and so rapidly did they advance upon us that it was 
with the greatest difficulty that we secured ourselves 
from danger by taking shelter behind the largest trees. 
With nostrils distended and ears set back, the fore- 
most horse dashed by us, and after him followed the 
whole troop close upon his heels, and as far as the 
eye could discern them they kept swiftly upon their 
course. For several miles they kept in a body, but 
afterward separating, they strayed in various direc- 
tions throughout the country. Small detachments of 
our men were now sent in quest of them and brought 
the greater part of them back to camp, but a number 
of them are still missing. 

The next day after our encampment upon the sand- 
bar, as mentioned in my last, the regiment laid out a 
permanent camp ground for winter quarters in a little 
strip of woods skirting a fine rolling prairie. A bayou 
or small intersecting stream, furnished us with water, 
across which lay the canebrake that I have before de- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 85 

scribed. The rainy season however had rendered 
this place so muddy that it was with the greatest dif- 
ficulty that we could move from one place to another 
without constructing a pathway of logs. 

We are now quartered in large barrack-rooms, 
built of oak shinorles, situated at the outer edge of the 
wood, upon a high piece of ground which overlooks 
a wide and lovely extent of country. Each troop has 
one of these barrack-rooms, or rather barns ; for indeed 
although they answer a somewhat better purpose 
than our tents towards keeping us from the inclemen- 
cies of the weather, still they are, in point of comfort, 
scarcely equal to a country barn. 

During the winter oar tents have been our only 
protection from the cold ; and, as you may suppose, 
they afforded us but little shelter. We heaped together 
large piles of logs as near to them as we dared, and 
kept them continually lighted, and by this means en- 
deavored to keep one side warm at a time. 

The single blanket which government allowed us, 
was our only covering at night, and the ground on 
which we lay was so low and wet that we were 
obliged to dig trenches around the encampment to pre- 
vent it from being flooded. As to our rations, they have 
been poorer, if possible, than our accommodations, 
consisting of pork, flour, and beans ; the pork rusty, the 
flour spoiled, and the beans of the meanest quality. I 
had almost entirely forgot to mention coflee^ which also 
was a component part of our rations, and which, for 
aught I know, might have been good, had the quanti- 
ty been sufficient to allow of a decision on the subject. 

After removing to our present location, our old 
camp ground presented a curious appearance ; here 
and there were left standing portions of log buildings 

8 



86 DRAGOON CAMPAIG.^9. 

which had been erected for store-houses and other 
purposes, and the chimneys and fire-places which had 
been appended to the officers^ tents, now removed^ 
presented the dilapidated ruins of whatever the imagi- 
nation might please to conjure up. 

But another scene, which would have formed no 
unfit subject for the pencil of Hogarth, claims to be 
recorded. Often, during a rainy day, our shingle bar- 
racks became the theatre of many a laughable drama ;- 
the thousand apertures in the roofs admit the water 
most copiously, and upon such occasions our attention 
cannot be entirely devoted to ourselves — movables 
of every description must be taken care of; and such 
another collection of saddles, saddle-bags, knap-sacks, 
and accoutrements, as are usually heaped together,, 
cannot well be imagined. 

At such times the buffalo skins, with which many 
of us are provided, are invaluable property, inasmuch 
as the owner thereof may the more reasonably expect 
a dry place to lie down upon when night comes, the 
hide being too thick and too well tanned to admit the 
water. 

But one of the most crying evils which can befall us 
upon such occasions, is the additional quantity of 
water which pours down our wide chimneys into the 
open top camp-kettles, consequently rendering our 
solution of beans somewhat less strong than common^ 
which, indeed, in ordinary occasions, stand but very 
little chance of being found fault with on that score. 
These, however, are but trifling inconveniences, and 
serve but to render the pleasanter scenes the happier 
for the contrast. 

Oftentimes during that short period of leisure and 
joyousness which intervenes between retreat andtattoo>, 



DRACOOI* CAMPAIGNS. 87 

.-are these barrack-rooms the scene of revelry and glee. 
Among- our number are fellows of every turn of mind 
and almost every species of accomplishment, which^ 
upon such an occasion, could be brought into requisi- 
tion to add to the general jollity. 

One of the most conspicuous, however, of the num- 
ber is Sergeant S., or, as he is more familiarly called 
among his companions, Long Ned, measuring six feet 
six in his stocking feet — a fine fellow, I assure you — 
and although an Englishman by birth, still Yankee 
enough in disposition. He was formerly a cornet in 
an English regiment of lancers, and afterwards effect- 
ed a transfer, and received the appointment of adju- 
?tant to a regiment in the service of Don Pedro. Sub- 
sequently arriving in this country, he was solicited to 
join our regiment, under the express declaration that 
he should receive the appointment of riding master^ 
which promise, however, as well as every other made 
to the members of this regiment, was forgotten as soon 
as made, and my friend Long Ned had to take up with 
Z. ^he birth of orderly sergeant to the troop to which he 
had joined himself. 

However, he made the best of a bad bargain, as 
many another among us was forced to, and upon 
such occasions as often take place in the evenings 
within our barrack-rooms, he adds his quota to the 
general amusement. Seated upon the highest bunk 
in the apartment, with his long legs hanging almost 
to the floor, may always at such times be seen Long 
Ned acting as master of ceremonies; around him 
generally are congregated a musical group of fellowsj 
with whom Ned is always sure to join in the chorus. 
On the ample ground-floors, groups of Creeks, Osages^ 
and Cherokees, from the neighboring settlements^ 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 



often hold their pow-wows, and not un frequently are 
they joined by a jolly set of soldiers from the fort, who, 
together with our own boys, join them in their dance. 
The Indian mode of accompaniment, which is gene- 
rally effected by patting of the hands upon the knees, 
together with a guttural sou id from the lungs, as 
practiced among themselves, is upon these occasions 
often made more complete by the addition of two or 
three cracked fiddles, which are the favorite instru- 
ments among our Tennessee boys. Now and then 
an ambitious bugler will enliven the scene by blowing 
a loud blast upon his favorite instrument ; and upon 
occasions of extraordinary glee, two or three clarionets 
and a banjo, which complete the collection of instru- 
ments in the regiment, are brought into requisition. 

Around a tallow candle, stowed away in some 
snug corner of the apartment, may generally be seen 
a card party, earnestly engaged in thumbing over a 
pack that can hardly be distinguished apart through 
the dirt that covers them ; and as now and then a fel- 
low of a pensive turn of mind retires from these more 
general groups of amusement, he can be seen stretch- 
ed upon his bunk, seeking enjoyment from the well 
read pages of Robinson Crusoe, or the Life of Col. 
Gardner, or General Marion, which, together with 
three or four other books, form the whole of what 
may be termed the Regimental Library. 

Often have I been the participant in such scenes 
as that which I have here attempted to describe, and 
so joyously too did the hours pass away, that tattoo 
would sound in our ears before we imagined that the 
evening had commenced. 

P. S. Sergeant S., alias Long Ned, has been placed 
under arrest, upon the charge of another non-commis- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. fS 

«ioned officer, for sundry misdemeanors committed in 
divers places. You shall have more anon — mean- 
whilsj I remain yours, <fcc. 



LETTER X. 



Court-Martial. 



Camp Jackson^ Fort Gibsein, 

Cherokee Nation, A. T. 1834. 

My Dear SiRj 

I have but a moment to devote to you — the mail 
closes immediately. I will give you the outlines of 
the proceedings of the regimental court-martial in the 
case of my friend Long Ned, who, you may remem- 
ber, was placed under arrest at the date of my last 
The trial has caused some little excitement in camp, 
and for the want of time and material I must send you 
the proceedings in somewhat of a condensed form, and 
with but few comments. 

The inclosed extracts from the minutes I hurriedly 
wrote down at the adjutant's tent, therefore please ex- 
cuse all illegibility. 

Charge and Specifications made against Sergeant S . . , ,, of 
Company " E." U. S. Regiment Dragoons. 

Charge — Unsoldierlike conduct. 

^* Specification 1st. — In this, that the said Sergeant 
S, of "E" company, did, near Camp Jackson, on 
8* 



90 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

or about the 25th of December, 1833, head a party of 
men under the assumed title of heutenant, and seize a 
barrel of whiskey, and appropriate the same to the use 
of said party. 

^^Specification 2d. — [Relative to an ailed g ed misre- 
presentatio7i to Captain Perkins^ conceiving an ex- 
pression made to him by another sergeant of the 
same troop.) 

" Specification 3d. — In this, that the said Sergeant 
S. of " E " company, was so much intoxicated on the 
morning of the 26th instant, at Camp Jackson, as to 
be incapable of performing his duty as orderly sergeant 
in a proper manner. 

" Specification Ath. — In this, that the said Sergeant 
S. of" E " company, did, at Camp Jackson, on or about 
10th of January, 1834, use violence toward private R. 
of " E" company, by pulling him half way out of his 
tent and ordering him to clean his horse, when he the 
said R. was on the sick report and unable to work. 

" Specification 5th. — In this, that said Sergeant S. of 
"E" company, also used similar violence toward pri- 
vate T. of the same troop. 

" Specification 6th. — In this, that said Sergeant S. of 
"E" company, did, on or about the 26th of February, 
1834, at Camp Jackson, intimate to private L. of ''E" 
company, regiment of dragoons, what lot to draw to 
insure his detail as orderly.* 

* One man was chosen each morning-, from the number detail- 
ed for guard, as orderly to the colonel, which fell to the lot of 
the cleanest soldier of the detail. This served (o excite emula- 
tion, and had an excellent effect, the duty of orderly being much 
lighter than that of a sentinel, hi the above case, the privates 
to whom Sergeant S. gave the intimation which lot to draw, 
happened under peculiar circumstances. When two were con- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 91 

^^Specification 7th. — In this, that the said Sergeant 
S. of *• E " company, did, on the morning of the 10th 
of March, intimate to private W. in Hke manner, 
which lot he should draw to insure a like result. 
"J. W. Hamilton, AdjH. Dragoons.^^ 

I will not trouble you with the list of witnesses 
whose names were appended to these specifications ; 
they amount in all to thirteen, including a squatter 
and his wife. 

This trial occupied the greater part of three days, 
many peculiar topics of consideration having been 
made the subject of discussion. In brief. Sergeant S. 
was the best soldier in the regiment, and it would 
have been impolitic to have deposed him ; moreover, 
his knowledge of the cavalry tactics being much 
more thorough than any other officer, commissioned 
or non-commissioned, his worth was too well known 
to admit of a hasty condemnation in his case. 

On the second day of the trial, Ned ran into my 
tent and begged that I would prepare a defence for 
him ; and hurriedly giving me the heads of his argu- 
ments, I sat down to the task. After some revision, 
we prepared together the following defence. 

" To Major M, and the Officers composing this 
Courts 

" Gentlemen, — Unacquainted as I am with 
courts and the manner in which legal investigations 

eidered equally worthy of the choice, resort was had to drawing 
lots. Privates L. and W. had but just returned from a fatiguing 
command, and my friend Long Ned, out of pure kindness, 
must Have given them the wink. 



92 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

are conducted in this country, it is not without a na- 
tural feeling of incapacity that I enter upon the task 
of preparing a defence. I will not, however, occupy 
much of your time, but as speedily as possible glance 
over the proceedings in the case, and with but few 
comments submit the result to you. 

"The charge preferred against me admits of seven 
specifications. 

« The first, &c. 

****** 
* ***** 

"Having thus recapitulated the specifications, permit 
me to direct your attention to a fact which could not 
have escaped your observation at the time. I mean 
the pointedness of the evidence given by Sergeants 
C. and H. I do not pretend to question the veracity 
of these witnesses, but I wish to show that the excite- 
ment of their feelings towards me gave a coloring to 
their testimony against me, that materially affected its 
import. 

" Grentlemen, you cannot but be aware of the im« 
portance that an artful representation gives to a trans- 
action, which, when divested of its specious trappings, 
would fail to produce the desired efl^ect. Sergeant C. 
In order of rank, would succeed me in the orderly 
duty, and I am not the only one who has noticed his 
extreme anxiety for the event of this trial. And now, 
gentlemen, I would not accuse him of any premedi- 
tated intention of wrong, but leave the affair to your 
own candid investigation. In relation to the other 
witness to whom I referred, I would point you to 
your own minutes of the evidence, and compare the 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 93 

erroneous statements of Sergeant H. with the calm 
and unbiassed testimony, upon the same point, set 
forth by Captain Perkins. And Iiere, gentlemen, per- 
mit me to say, that after the flattering terms in which 
Lieutenant D. and other officers addressed this Court 
in my behalf, I more than ever feel the imbecility of 
any attempt, on my part, to speak in my own defence. 
The impressive and feeling manner in which these 
gentlemen gave in their opinions has bereft me of all 
power of bringing forward any thing in vindication 
of my own cause, that could so greatly conduce to my 
interest as the opinions so ably delivered in my be- 
half by these officers. I feel grateful ; I feel indebted 
to them. Whether the issue of this trial be favorable 
to me or not, I shall ever cherish, with grateful re- 
membrance, their kindness, condescension, and gen- 
tlemanly conduct towards me. Among the singular 
vicissitudes that time gives birth to, it may so happen 
that I shall chance to meet, in another walk of life, 
one, or perhaps all, of the gentlemen who have this 
day so liberally spoken in my defence ; and although 
years may intervene, my gratitude shall still be un- 
diminished. 

" Gentlemen, T will detain you but a moment longer. 
When I entered the American service, it was at the ear- 
nest solicitation of several of my superior officers, and 
under the influence of promises which have never been 
fulfilled. However, I was appointed orderly sergeant 
of the troop to which I belonged, and in the duties of 
that station I have always exerted myself in striving 
to promote the interest of the troop and the service 
generally. What has been construed severity by the 
soldiers, 1 looked upon as necessary discipline ; and 
perhaps upon reflection, now that they have become 



94 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

better acquainted with the soldier's duties, they will 
admit was intended for their good. I am aware, how- 
ever, that I am an object of antipathy to many, and 
particularly to my accuser. Why did he not make 
the facts (if such he could have proved them) known 
at the time, and not now, after months have transpired, 
bring forward a list of charges, some of which are en- 
tirely false, and those which are founded in truth so 
grossly exaggerated as to have entirely lost their origi- 
nal formation ? I ask why ? I leave you to answer. 

"By birth and education lam an Englishman, and 
this is Uhe very head and front of my offending ;' the 
patriotic spirits of the young Americans, with whom 
I have the honor to be associated, could not brook the 
idea of being ranked by a foreigner. They forgot that 
I had become virtually an American citizen, by enlist- 
ing under their country's flag. I was a stranger in a 
strange land. I sought for that spirit of liberality for 
which I had ever been taught to admire the American 
nation, but did I realize it ? I must answer no ! My 
nation was an odium to me, and I was considered as 
a disgrace to those with whom I was associated, mere- 
ly because it was not my fortune to have the star- 
spangled banner floating over my birth-place. Repos- 
ing confidence in your proceedings, and feeling as- 
sured that this aftair will be treated as it deserves, I 
leave the disposal cheerfully in the hands of my su- 
perior officers, composing this Court." 

Such was the defence spoken by my friend Long 
Ned, and I have only time to add that it produced the 
desired effect. After a recapitulation of all the evi- 
dence, the Court decided that the greater part of the 
charges were disproved, and that no criminality was 
to be attached to those which were proved. There- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 95 

fore the decision of the Court was, that Serg^eant S. 
should return to duty in his troop, much, I assure 
you, to the chagrin and disappointment of several 
who watched the whole trial with a jealous eye. 

Yours, &c. 



LETTER XL 



Opening of Spring— Poaching Expedition— Gloomy Occurrence- 
Military Funeral. 

Camp Jackson, A. T, 1834. 

My Dear Sir, 

I will not take up your time with excuses for my 
unusually long silence. Suffice it to say, that I have 
been for six weeks past on my back in the hospital, 
suffering from the effects of a sev^ere wound in the 
leg, occasioned by a kick from a horse. I have but 
just now returned to q^uarters, and am not yet fit for 
duty. Spring, meanwhile, had merged from the 
embrace of winter ; the paroquets, in large and 
happy flocks, whistled as they sported through the 
air ; the prairie has laid aside its white robe, and 
bedecked itself in the more joyous and appropriate 
habiliments of spring ; the oak, and elm, and syca- 
more begin to give token of approaching verdure, 
and the canebrake has put forth new sprouts, and 
assumed a brighter green ; the sassafras and hack- 
berry send forth their delicious fragrance, and the 



96 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

blossoms of the dogberry and spicewood add to the 
luxuriant scenery of spring. The mistletoe now no 
longer holds entire sway over the frostbitten verdure 
of its parent trunk, as in thick green bunches it 
shoots forth from the top branches of the oak. Win- 
ter has fled from the earth, and spring, in all the glory 
of a western clime, reigns triumphant over the forest 
and the plain. The river, now loosened from its 
chainsof ice, flows on its gentle course. The mel- 
low prairie in its untold variety has shot forth its 
myriads of blades and flowers. The thousand varied 
insects are swarming upon the scene ; and amid the 
general renovation, the soldiers, too, seem to have 
awaked to a renewed life, and enter upon their 
duties with more cheerful alacrity. 

We are now beginning to improve our camp 
ground, and resume our practice, both in target 
shooting as well as horse and foot tactics. Our time 
is occupied for the most part between guard mount- 
ing and retreat,* in various exercises, preparatory to 
entering upon the summer's campaign. 

The encampment now presented the appearance of 
quite a large settlement for this country, extending 
over a large space of ground, and interspersed with 
barrack-rooms, tents, huts and wigwams. 

Near to our encampment is the dwelliner of an old 
Cherokee, named Rodger, who has grown immense- 
ly rich, and lives in the greatest affluence known to 

* I woaUl remark that guard-mounting took place at 9 o'clock 
in the morning, and retreat call sounded at sundown. All our 
movements and operations were regulated by the sound of the 
bugle. Rcvil!« sounding at sunrise ; the Doctor^s call at half 
an hour before breakfast, winch was at 8 o'clock, and tattoo at 
9 in the evening. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 97 

his rude taste ; lie owns a large tract of land in the 
neighborhood, and so many head of cattle that he 
cannot count them ; his pigs and poultry are so 
numerous that, notwithstanding the frequent poach- 
ing expeditions that are directed against them, they 
never seem to be diminished. One day, about the 
first of February, three or four of us had obtained a 
leave of absence for the day to go a fishing, but 
finding that to be dull sport, we put away our rods 
and lines, and shouldering our muskets, trudged 
through the woods in quest of game, which resulted 
in the death of one grey squirrel. Not willing to re- 
turn to camp with an empty pouch, we thought that 
our friend Rodger would scarce feel the loss of a 
roaster or two, so we Avended our way in the direction 
most likely to meet with a party of these unoffending 
animals. My companions, upon this poaching expe- 
dition, were Corporal Tim, as he is familiarly called 
by his companions, by all odds the finest fellow in the 
regiment, and a bugler named Shaw, who was al- 
ways up to any and every kind of sport that might be 
going on. Having got about half a mile from camp, 
we were cautiously looking out to examine whether 
any one might happen to be in the neighborhood, 
when Tim espied something, and turning to us, said 
" sh — sh — stop ;" and leveling his piece, brought down 
his game. Shaw and myself getting upon the same 
trail, met with the like good fortune. 

"Now, boys," said Tim, "we've got but a few 
minutes to spare, let's cover them over with brush, 
and after retreat come back and smuggle them into 
camp.'' 

We took Tim's advice, and hid our unlawful game 
9 



98 DRAGOON CAMPAiaNSf, 

under a brush- heap, and just got into camp in time i& 
say " here " as our names were called. 

As soon as it was dark enough to escape observation^ 
we retraced our steps, and shouldering our prize,, 
brous^ht three fat little roasters, unobserved, into the 
barracks ; and after we had prepared them for the spit^ 
had no hesitation in offering a piece to our companions,, 
under the name of" opposum," Avhich they very near- 
ly resemble. 

An occurrence took place a few weeks since that 
shed a feeling of gloom over the regiment. Lieut. 
Bradford, a promising young officer, had been detach- 
ed in command of a small party in search of some 
deserters. The second morning after his departure 
from camp, as he was preparing to take an early start 
upon his route, he had just finished breakfasting at an 
Indian hut, and his horse having been brought, he 
was about to mount, when he bethought himself to 
examine his pistols ; he took one of them out of the 
holster, examined the priming, and returned it ; then 
taking the other, and being, likewise satisfied with it,, 
was about to return it to its holster, when the ham- 
mer of the lock caught upon the top of the holster- 
pipe, and thence being drawn back and suddenl)^ dis- 
engaged, it went off, the ball passing diagonally 
through the bottom of the holster-pipe, thence through 
his left breast, and lodged in his side ; not instantly 
feeling the eifect of the ball, he was not aware that he 
had been shot, until he noticed that the blood was 
oozing from the wound ; becoming exhausted^ he was 
carried into the Indian hut, and although treated with 
all the kindness that it was possible for him to receive, 
he expired in a few hours. Express, next morning, 
brought the news of his death into camp, and an order 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 99 

"'^as immediately issued, directing his corpse to be 
sent for, and accordingly it arrived the day after. 
At the hour of four, the same afternoon, his remains 
were brought out for interment, and the scene was 
one of peculiar solemnity. Although we had often 
before been assembled for the purpose of paying the 
last tribute of respect to the dead, yet the pecuhar cir- 
cumstances of this added much to the effect upon our 
feelings. The body was placed in a black coffin, and 
shrouded with the national banner of our country. 
All the officers from the fort, not on duty, followed in 
procession, and our own regiment were mustered in 
their entire strength ; and the sight was one of the 
most imposing character that may well be conceived. 
Not that I mean that this procession equalled, in 
splendor, those that upon like occasions are assembled 
in cities, but here every human being that could walk 
joined in the procession, and every heart was sorrow- 
ful, and every countenance was sad. As we passed 
over the space of ground that separated our camp from 
the burial-yard, attached to the fort, all seemed more 
than naturally still, and the tap of the muffled drum 
was the only sound that the ear might catch. Here no 
noisy croAvd thronged the highway and jostled against 
the mourner ; this was a sight that no idle spectator 
would gaze upon for a moment, then turn, and in a 
moment forget; for whoever looked upon a sight like 
this and forgot its imposing solemnity ? 

The grave-yard attached to Fort Gibson was situ- 
ated about a mile from our encampment, and the sur- 
rounding scenery was admirably calculated to add to 
the solemnity of our feelings ; there was none of the 
usual bustle and noise of the camp now to be heard 
the hammer of the artizan was silent, the laugh of 

U OF C. 



100 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

the merry group had hushed, and even a more thaii 
natural stilhiess seemed to reign over the scene. 

The encampment, with the now silent and desert- 
ed tent of the deceased in the midst, was turned into 
the house of mourning ; on the one side extended an 
unbroken extent of prairie, bounded only by the hori- 
zon, its tall grass waving in the breeze and sparkling 
with daizies, and butter-cups, and roses, and the thou- 
sand of other beautiful and fragrant flowers which 
serve to convert the prairie into a garden, and scent 
the balmy air of the wilderness with a delicious fra- 
grance ; on the other side of the encampment might 
be seen the skirt of a deep green forest of lofty oaks, 
and elms, and sycamores, interspersed with the cot- 
ton-wood, the coffee-nut, and pekaun, and many other 
lofty trees that are only to be found west of the waters 
of the Mississippi. A thick under brush, intertwined 
with the hazel and sassafras, yielded fragrance and 
added beauty to the scene. 

As we ascended a little eminence to the left, the eye 
could extend over the rich green canebrake that 
stretches along the margin of the Neosho, whose clear 
and transparent waters reflected back the objects upon 
its banks, and discovered its pebbled bed and thou- 
sands of finny inhabitants. 

Slowly, and with measured step, this mournful pro- 
cession entered within the silent inclosure that holds 
the mouldering remains of many a soldier, and as we 
rested upon our reversed arms, an aged minister, who 
happened by chance to be at the fort, offered up a 
prayer to heaven. The body was then lowered into 
its narrow dwelling, and as a last tribute of respect to 
the memory of the deceased, three loud volleys of 
musketry were discharged over the grave. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. VOX 

These scenes of military pomp have had a power- 
ful and salutary effect upon the mind of the Indians 
that were staying in the neighborhood of the fort. I 
had forgotten to mention that immediately upon our 
arrival at Fort Gibson, we were met by a large num- 
ber of Pawnee, Camanshe, and other representatives 
of still wilder tribes, that had assembled there for the 
purpose of holding a treaty, as they pretended, but for 
no other purpose in reality than to receive rations at 
government expense, which are allowed to the In- 
dians when in council at our military posts. 

General Leavens worth is at Fort Towson, and will 
be here in a few days ; we shall then, probably, learn 
something in relation to our summer campaign. I 
will transmit to you the earliest intelligence in rela- 
tion to our movements. Till then, I remain as ever, 

Your friend, &c. 



LETTER XII. 



Camp Jackson, A. T. 1834. 

Regimental Orders. — Remarks, &c. — Opinions upon the Academy 
at West Point. — Treatment of the Sick. 



My Dear Sir, 

The following regimental order was published to 
the infantry assembled at Fort Gibson, and also to the 
dragoons, on the 26th of April, 
9* 



102 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 



" Head Quarters, Left Winer, Western Department, 

Fort Towson, April 20, 1834. ' 

" I. In obedience to general orders, dated 12th Janu- 
ary, 1834, Brig. Gen. Leavenworth, of the army, as- 
sumes command of the troops and the frontier men- 
tioned in that order. 

" II. Lieut. Henry Swartwout, of the 3d infantry, 
has been appointed aid-dc-camp to the commanding 
general, and will be respected accordingly. 

" III. In addition to the returns and reports hereto- 
fore required, commanding ufRcers of posts and corps 
will transmit monthly reports of respective commands 
to the commanding general, at the commencement of 
each for the month preceding. They will also 
promptly send to the commanding general any infor- 
mation which they may possess or obtain in relation 
to the safety or defence of the frontier ; and the com- 
manding general invites the officers to favor him with 
a full, free, and liberal correspondence in relation to 
the situation of the Indians, the names of the tribes 
that reside within their command, or who visit it, 
for what purpose, and where — also as to the topogra- 
phy of the country, the best routes for roads and 
communications between the several posts, and gene- 
rally as to all matters connected with or important to 
the public service. 

" IV. All communications for the command will be 
sent to Fort Gibson until further notice. 

"V. The commanding general was highly gratified 
with the review and inspection, yesterday, of the 
command of Lieut. Col. Vose. The command was 
in excellent order, and the highly moral condition of 
the troops at Fort Towson does great credit to Col. 



DIUGOON CAMPAIGNS. 103 

Vose and his officers. The very fine condition of the 
troops at this post affords conckisive evidence of the 
wisdom of banishing ardent spirits from our garrisons. 

" VI. The commanding officer at Fort Towson will 
immediately make and forward a requisition for one 
caisson for a six pounder, and one traveling forge, and 
for harness and equipments complete for the six 
pounder, and for the caisson and forge. 

"VII. The commanding officer at Fort Towson 
will detach two companies of his command, and cause 
them to open a road, by the nearest and best route, to , 
the mouth of the False Washita, on the Red River ; |/ 
the streams will be bridged or ferry boats constructed 
to cross them ; and where boats are made, arrange- 
ments will also be made to get some of the Choctaw 
Indians to take charge of them. When bridges are 
constructed, great care will be taken to have them 
above inundation, if possible, and if not, they must be 
constructed so as not to rise or float when the water 
overflows them. Weekly reports will be made to the 
commanding general by the commanding officer of 
this detachment. These reports will be transmitted 
through the commanding officer at Fort Towson. 
The assistant quarter-master will furnish a horse or 
mule for the express between Fort Towson and this 
detachment. 



" By order of General Leavenworth, 

" H. Swart wouT, A. D. C. ^- A. A, Adj. Gen:' 

J^have inserted this order nearly at length, because 
I premised that it would convey an idea of the in- 
structions therein contained, more fully than if I had 



104 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

clothed them in my own language, and being the first 
order published by General Leavenworth after having 
been appointed to this command, might naturally be 
expected to contain important matter. 

Shortly after this order General Leavenworth* ar- 
rived at our camp. It was a day of gladness to every 
heart, for it brought with it some tidings that gave 
promise of entering upon our summer campaign, and 
getting rid of the monotony of the life that we had 
led through the winter. 

He is a plain-looking old gentleman, tall yet 
graceful, though stooping under the weight of perhaps 

* Little (lid I then imagine that in less than one short year 
his head would be laid upon its eternal pillow. Short lived indeed 
were the enjoyments he anticipated in his new appointment, 
which, to a mind like his, capable of appreciating the glorious 
creations of nature in the boundless forests and prairies of the 
far, far west, would naturally give rise to the most joyous anti- 
cipations. 

Our summer campaign, which we entered upon shortly after 
his arrival, had but hardly commenced when our beloved com- 
mander was attacked by one of the fevers prevalent in these 
regions, and died whjie at a detached camp, surrounded by but 
eight or ten followers. 

The imposing and gaudy pageant that followed his remains 
through the streets of New-York, after their disinterment, was 
etill less imposing, with all its splendor of array and pomp, than 
was the little band of eight or ten that followed his body to the 
grave at Camp Smith. There were no spectators there — no 
solemn tolling of the bell — no thunder of re-echoing artillery — 
all was still and silent as the tomb itself ; the stream of the Wa- 
shita glided by the spot on one side, and the unbroken level of 
the prairie verged to the horizon on the other. It was his own 
request that his remains should be removed to his native place. 
This request was complied with, and the well-remembered ho- 
nors with which they were every where escorted, may convey 
some idea of the general estimation in which he was held. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 105 

three-score winters ; affable and unassuming in the 
society of his brother officers, mild and compassionate 
toward those under his command, combining most 
happily the dignity of the commander with the mode- 
ration and humanity of the Christian, and the modest 
and urbane deportment of the scholar and the gentle- 
man ; all love him, for all have access to him, and 
none that know him can help but love him. 

As he entered our encampment and sallied from 
tent to tent, heartily shaking hands with many of his 
old friends whom he met, and bestowing a smile upon 
all around him, I looked upon him with peculiar sen- 
sations. He was a new inhabitant of our little lonely 
world, one that brought tidings from a home and 
country far away, and he was greeted with sounds of 
unaffected welcome from every lip. 

The following order was published immediately 
upon his arrival at Fort Gibson. 

" Head Quciriers, Left IVin^, Western Department^ 

Fori Gibson, 2Sd April, 1834. 

" The troops at this post will be mustered on the 
last day of the present month, at 9 o'clock A. M. by 
the senior officer " for duty '' in each corps. The dra- 
goons and the 7th infantry will parade on the drill 
ground of the latter corps, near Fort Gibson, at 3 P. 
M. on the same day, when they will be reviewed and 
inspected by the commanding general. The senior 
officer on parade will form and command the line, and 
pass the troops in review in the manner prescribed in 
the regulations. Col. Dodge willtakemeasuresto.be 
informed when the traders from Missouri to Santa Fe 
will be in readiness to commence their journey, and 
if they need or require an escort ; and if so, the colo- 



106 D-RAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

nel will make all necessary arrangements for their es- 
cort and protection. He will send an efficient and 
intelligent* officer to Franklin, in Missouri, or wher- 
ever it may be necessary to obtain the information, 
and to make the best possible arrangements for the 
safety of the traders. Col. Dodge will also make an 
estimate of every thing that will be required by his 
corps to prepare them for their contemplated move- 
ment, and send it to the office of the acting assistant 
adjutant-general of this command as soon as possible. 

*' The commanding officer of the 7th infantry will 
cause a road to be laid out and marked by the most 
direct and best route, on the north side of the Arkan- 
sas river, from this post to a point opposite the mouth 
of the little Red River, and from thence to the north 
fork of the Canadian River, in as direct a course as 
the nature of the ground will admit, towards the 
mouth of the False Washita at Red River. 

" He will also cause a road to be laid out and mark- 
ed on the best ground and most direct course from the 
fort to where the route before mentioned from the lit- 
tle Red River will intersect the north fork of the Ca- 
nadian. 

" He will place a strong detachment on each of these 
routes, and when they shall meet they shall proceed 
to lay out a road in the most direct and best route 
from the north fork of the Canadian River to the 
mouth of the False Washita at Red River, or until 
they shall meet a detachment of third infanty hereto- 
fore ordered from Fort Towson, to make a road from 
Fort Towson to the mouth of the False Washita, and 
which detachment will be ordered to proceed from 

* Lieut. J. H. K. Burgwin was the officer chosen for this duty. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 107 

thence in the direction of the north fork of the Cana- 
dian." 



The remainder of this order related to internal mat- 
ters, which would be unintelligible to you, and I have 
therefore omitted it.. 

I will merely insert one other order here, which has 
a more direct bearing upon the regiment of dragoons. 
It was published on the morning folloAving the review 
and inspection mentioned in the last. 

li. Q., Left Wing, W. Department, May i, 1834. 

" The commanding general was highly gratified 
with the appearance and performance of the troops 
at this post on review yesterday. 

" The dragoons are in excellent order, much better 
than could have been reasonably expected consider- 
ing the very many disadvantages which they have had 
to encounter during the past winter. It is evident 
that the officers and men have not been inattentive to 
their duties. The uniform is very good, as well as 
very soldierlike and beautiful in its appearance, and 
the horses appear to be very good, and all their equip- 
ments of excellent and substantial quality. 

" The eyes of the whole country are upon this corps, 
and much is expected from it. The gratification and 
fulfillment of public expectation is a highly valuable 
prize to contend for ; and if by the most ardent and 
strenuous exertions of every individual of ^the corps, 
it can be gained, the reward is a rich one, the esteem 
and gratification of the country ! ! 

" The j^ei^sonalle of this corps is of a high and valu- 
able quality, and the commanding general has heard 



108 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

with surprise and regret that some of the enlisted men 
have deserted. It is true, no doubt, that they have 
had hard times through the winter, as they have been 
without either long or short forage for their horses, 
and consequently compelled to guard them in a cane- 
brake. This, it is confidently believed, will not again 
occur, and if it should, the enlisted men should bear 
in mind that it is better to suffer "even death than to 
desert; death would not disgrace their friends and 
relatives, and although it would distress their feelings, 
the pang would be far less severe and lasting than 
that occasioned by desertion, to all which is to be ad- 
ded the incalculable misery to the man himself, by 
knowing that he has disgraced and perjured himself, 
and the fear of detection and exposure must unavoid- 
ably make him a wretch and a coward for the remain- 
der of his life. He should know also, that a convic- 
tion will debar him from being either a legal witness 
or a juryman in any court of justice, on account of the 
infamy of his crime. It is therefore to be hoped, that 
those who have the good fortune to be apprehended, 
will o^ive such evidence of their contrition and the 
enormity of their crime, as to induce their gallant and 
worthy colonel to overlook their offence and permit 
them to return to duty upon their paying all the ex- 
penses of the government. If this should be done, he 
who should fail to serve " honestly andfaithfully " the 
remainder of his enlistment, and should again desert 
his colors, would, if possible, he doubly a villain and 
s^iperlatively infamous. 

" The commanding general, as a friend to soldiers, 
conjures them ly every thing dear to them, and as 
they regard either their own comfort or the comfort 
and happiness of their friends and relatives, to refrain 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 109 

from desertion as the greatest of all possible evils that 

can befall them." 

# * * ♦ « 

" This order, or at least that portion of it that relates 
to desertion, will be read twice at the head of every 
company, and commandants of companies are required 
to cause it to be made known to all their men. 

" By order," (fee. 

When this last order was read to the dragoons it 
brought a smile upon every countenance ; but although 
the action was the same throughout the whole regi- 
ment, yet there were several causes that operated upon 
different minds to produce the same result. The ex- 
pression made use of in the order, ^^ that some of the 
enlisted men have deserted, ^^ was a powerful stimulus 
to produce a smile ; for instead of so7ne, the author of 
the order might have inserted the more appal ling words, 
over one hundred, which, up to that date, was really 
the case ; and no less than four men, including a ser- 
geant and corporal, took leg-bail that very night. Ano- 
ther expression caused some foundation for a laugh 
in one's sleeve — these are the words, " Those loho have 
had the good fortune to he ajyprehended,^'' <fcc. Now, 
to tell the plain truth, the only good fortune that the 
poor fellows experienced that were so circumstanced 
was, that they received fifty lashes with a raw-hide 
upon their naked backs, after having for several 
months dragged a cannon ball after them chained to 
their legs, and then returned to their troops to serve 
but the remainder of their term of service, forfeiting 
all their pay, past and to come. 

Such are some of the plain matters of fact ; but I 
am far from attaching any blame to Gen. Leaven- 
worth, for I believe most cordially and sincerely that 
10 



tW DRAGOON CAMFAieNS. 

liis motives and intentions were of the purest and 
most benevolent character, and the order as published^ 
by him was proper and correct, as far as his hmited 
knowledge of the circumstances, as in reality they ex- 
isted, was calculated to effect. 

There are numberless internal and external griev- 
ances and wrongs existing, in relation to the military 
establishment of the United States, that should receive 
the attention of those able to remedy and right them. 
The usages, the movements, the government of our 
army, appear to be but little known, and its advance- 
ment and prosperity but little cared for by the great 
mass of the people. If perchance the army becomes 
the topic of conversation in the domestic circle, oi 
even at the debating club, the soldiers are spoken of 
as a band of outcasts and fugitives, fit for no other sta- 
tion or employment ; and, with some small exceptions^ 
this will not be disputed by those who are acquainted 
with its internal economy. The cause, too, is plain 
and obvious. When we reflect for a moment, how 
can we imagine or expect this to be otherwise ; for 
instance, would a professional student devote his 
youth to toil through the tedious routine of a prepara- 
tory course of study and training for the duties of a 
calling, if there was an established barrier against his 
ever attaining to rank and distinction in the profession 
which he had chosen ? And how, therefore, can it rea- 
sonably be expected that the respectable youth of our 
country will voluntarily enlist in a service that offers 
no hope, or inducement, or even possibility of ad- 
vancement ? 

The regiment of the United States dragoons forms^ 
although a small, yet a very conspicuous portion of the 
American army. Independent of the topographical 



-DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. Ill 

'and engineering departments of our army, its pre- 
sent entire strength is composed of only twelve regi- 
ments ; seven of infantry, four of artillery, and one of 
dragoons. A force so small as this for the protection 
of our frontiers, although more than sufficient, should, 
nevertheless, be composed of a very different class of 
men from those that at present fill the ranks, more 
especially of our infantry regiments. 

The Military Academy at West Point, althougli 
an institution in every way creditable to the coun- 
try as well as to those intimately connected with 
it, is, nevertheless, more of a detriment than an ad- 
vantage to our army, inasmuch as it monopolizes the 
right of entirely supplying the army with officers, 
whilst the enlisted soldier, no matter what may be his 
merit or his qualifications, can never hope to arrive 
at any thing more than the petty unthankful office of 
a corporal or sergeant, I believe that this arbitrary law 
alone exists under the republican standard of America. 
In Europe this is different ; the enlisted soldier is not 
there excluded from the hope of arriving at the high- 
est honors of the army. Were this the case in this coun- 
try, the ranks of our infantry regiments would be com- 
posed of a very different material. There would then 
be some inducement held out to young men to enter 
into the service, and a spirit of emulation and laudable 
strife would give a zest to the military profession ; in- 
stead then of enlisting every vagrant that could be got 
into the service, there would be, no doubt, in a short 
time, more young, and ardent, and aspiring competi- 
tors than would fill its limited establishment. 

Such is the existing character of our army, and 
such, on the other hand, might be the situation of its 
.affairs, if proper and constitutional measures were 



112 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

taken to effect it. But, so far from any thing being 
about to be adopted to better the condition of the sol- 
dier, a proposal has lately been made, through the 
pages of the Military Magazine, to establish a school 
upon the plan of the West Point Academy, for the 
education and training of non-commissioned officers, 
and from the different classes of this institution ap- 
point them to the subordinate comm.and of the regi- 
ments composing our army. Were this to be carried 
into effect, it would reduce the American army much 
lower in the eyes of the world than it now stands ; it 
would be the death-blow to the hopes of the soldier, 
already within the power of its pernicious influence, 
and at once preclude all possibility of ever enlisting 
men of character in its ranks. The beings that would 
then enlist, would do so without the hope or possibility 
of ever becoming aught else but private soldiers dur- 
ing their term of enlistment. Our ranks would then be 
filled with a set of men lost to every thing like hope 
or energy, or ambition, or any of the more noble and 
exalted feelings that exert their powerful influence 
over the heart and passions of man. 

I would not have dwelt upon this topic here, had 
the plan proposed been merely thrown out as an idle 
speculation, but its practicability was strongly urged ; 
and as one that feels at least some share of interest in 
the advancement and prosperity of the American 
army, as well as every other institution in our happy 
country, I have denounced the proposition as one 
fatal to the best interests of the army. 

The profession of the soldier should, as well as that 
of the preacher, the lawyer, or the physician, hold out 
to its votaries inducements worthy of their attainment, 
and not unconstitutionally debar him from arriving 



IjnXGOON CAMPAIGNS. 11^ 

at (tiG distinctions and eminence to which his qualifi- 
cations and merit may peciiUarly invite him. 

As every monopoly is not only prejudicial to the 
circle of its immediate influence, but in a great degree 
affects the public welfare, so should the military esta- 
blishment at West Point be looked upon as a monopo 
ly, affecting the vital interests of the very class of 
men whose interests it was established to promote. I 
have ever been an admirer of that institution in its 
admirable management and discipline, as well as the 
unquestionable and eminent standing of its faculty; 
yet, nevertheless, from actual experience and observa- 
tion, I can bear testimony to its withering influence 
upon our army, and am prepared to say that its per- 
nicious tendency to keep down the ranks below the 
grade of what it should be, more than overbalances 
whatever good effects it may be calculated to pro- 
mote. 

Should the Military Academy at West Point fur= 
nish one-half of the army with officers, and the other 
portion be appointed by their merit from the ranks, it 
would be soon proved whether the theoretical or prac- 
tical soldier made the best oflicer ; and not only would 
this change be perceptible in the officers, but the inter- 
mediate grades an.d the ranks themselves would, in a 
short time, furnish astrikingproof of the utility of the 
measure. There is one class of officers attached to 
the army establishment who, at least, should undergo 
the most strict and severe examination before they 
should be permitted to exercise their functions — I 
mean the medical staff', those in whose care is placed 
the too often neglected healtli of the soldiers. But this 
class of officers, in common with those around them, 
seem to think the life and health of the poor despised 

10* 



114 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

soldier of but little consequence ; and as long as they 
can keep up an appearance of doing their duty, they 
care not to inquire the result. 

Every morning, about twenty minutes before break- 
fast, or half an hour before eight, " sick call " blows, 
and then may be seen issuing from the different quar- 
ters a crowd of "sicAr, Zame, and lazif soldiers, as is 
the common phrase among them, some with arms in 
slings, some on crutches, and others with long faces, 
presenting, when arrived at the doctor's tent, as motley 
a group as might well be imag^ined. The doctor then 
commences calling them, one by one, as their names 
occur in the "sick-book" of their respective compa- 
nies, and conversation to the eftect of the following- 
may be imagined to take place : 

" Well, Jones, how do you feel this morning ?" 

"I don't see that I get much better. Doctor." 

" What ! No better ! This is the fourth day that 
you have been reported sick." 

The Doctor then feels his pulse, perhaps tells him 
to stick out his tongue, which he half the time forgets 
to look at, and then dismissing the patient, marks 
down a prescription opposite his name, and calls up 
the next. 

" Well, Bennet, what's the matter with you ?" 

" I've got a scalded foot, sir." 

" How did that happen ?" 

" The coffee-kettle upset upon it as I was making 
up the fire." 

" You ought to take more care ! This is the third 
time that you've complained within a month ! Go to 
your quarters, sir !" 

In this manner, not the most feeling or congenial to 
those who are laboring under the burden of disease, does 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 1 l5 

the doctor proceed on through the whole Hst, mark- 
ing down pretty much the same prescription in every 
case, no matter whether the patient be afflicted with 
rheumatism, mumps, fever, or fracture ; in all of which 
cases, as well as almost every other that may occur 
to the soldier, calomel is the grand restorative ; and lit- 
tle regard is paid to the quantity, whether the patient 
be of a weak and exhausted frame, or enjoying a hearty 
and robust constitution ; often dose is given upon dose, 
without advisino^ as to diet or aught else, until the 
sufferer is left to its devastating effects upon his con- 
stitution ; until, too late, he becomes sensible of the 
inroad it has made ; and although his ailment at first 
might have been but trifling, and very little proper 
advice in the first place would have restored him to 
health, he has now learned, by sad experience, that, 
through careless indifference, at least, on the part 
of the surgeon, his whole system has been under- 
mined. 

My own observation has been witness to a number 
of instances where a slight indisposition, (that might 
have been checked by some simple remedy,) has been 
protracted, by tlie improper and unprofessional course 
of treatment on the part of the surgeon, to an incura- 
ble disease. I have particularly noted several of my 
young companions, who, when their names were 
noted upon the fatal " gick-book," bore all the appear- 
ances of a sound constitution and ruddy health, gradu- 
ally decline, their countenances merging from the rosy 
hue of healthfulness into the sallow and ghastly like- 
ness of disease ; their firm step giving way to the tot- 
ter of decrepitude ; their strong arms shaking with a 
nervous tremour ; their bright eyes become sunken and 
dilated; and, in fact, through a course of either willful 



116 DRAGOON <7A|IPAION8. 

neglect, or gross mal-practice, brought down within a 
short period of time from the health, and buoyancy, 
and joyousness of youth, to a premature grave. 

But I am weary of this topic. When I look around 
me and view the attenuated forms of many of my 
companions, who, but a few months since, left their 
happy homes in health and expectation, I cannot 
but feel deeply for them. My own constitution has, 
however, thus far withstood all the attacks of dis- 
ease and privation ; and having schooled my mind 
to bear all patiently, I live upon the anticipation 
of other and pleasanter scenes. 

We are under marching orders, and wait only to 
be reinforced by the remainder of our troops, to 
enter upon the summer's campaign. I will perhaps 
write again previous to our departure. Meanwhile, 
I remain yours, &c. 



LETTER XIII. 



Company A accompanies the Traders to Santa Pe — An Ad- 
venture — Arrival of new Companies — Various Occupations- 
Officers instructed by a Sergeant— Reflections, 

Camp Jackson, Cherokee Nation^ A, T. 1834, 

My dear Sir, 

In obedience to the instructions of General Leaven- 
worth, Lieut. Burgwin proceeded to Franklin, and 
brought back word that the traders were ready to pro- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 117 

ceedon their journey over the mountains to Santa Fe, 
and accordingly Capt. Wharton's troop was ordered 
to get in readiness to escort them on their route. 
They left Camp Jackson on the 5th of May, and pro- 
ceeded to the Red River, where they met the traders. 

A few days after, company B, under command of 
Captain E. V. Sumner, was despatched upon a short 
tour into the country of the Osages, for the purpose of 
settling a disturbance that had taken place between 
the delegates from several different tribes who had 
committed depredations upon them whilst passing 
through their nation. We took several chiefs prison- 
ers, as hostages, to insure the good behavior of the 
rest. Several appeared very refractory, and one chief 
in particular exhibited the strongest symptoms of try- 
ing to excite his tribe and the rest of the Indians to 
make war upon our troop when they were about to 
depart peacefully from the encampment. This chief 
became so much enraged at his being detained as a pri- 
soner, that he stript from him his blanket and jumped 
into the midst of one of the blazing log-heaps that had 
been kindled in the different parts of the camp ground, 
and commenced the wild yell of desperation used by 
the Indians during tlieir battles. He continued some 
minutes jumping and yelling amid the flames that 
were snapping and cracking around him, then sprung 
upon the earth and rolled over and over in the sand, 
tearing and lacerating his flesh in the most cruel and 
shocking manner ; then again he jumped into the 
flames, still continuing his song of defiance. 

This conduct was not perhaps so much the result 
of rage at his detention as a prisoner, as for the pur- 
pose of rousing the other Indians against the whites ; 
but he failed to effect his purpose, for which he had 



tW DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

submitted himself to such appalling and horrible tor 
tures. At lensjth, after having endured this scene 
calmly for some time, Major Mason ordered twelve 
soldiers to take deliberate aim at the chief, and if that 
did not have the effect of silencing him, to fire ; but 
the last alternative was not resorted to, for the sight 
of twelve muskets directed against his breast was 
sufficient to make him yield; he soon became si- 
ient, and made no farther attempt to excite the other 
Indians. 

This chief was left at the Osage lodge when our 
troop returned to the fort, in a most shocking and 
hopeless condition ; his flesh was literally, in many 
places, burned to a crust, and the blood flowed in 
streams from the lacerated wounds that had been 
caused by roiling in that condition, on the ground. 

Our troop took back to the fort with them two Paw- 
nee squaws that had been taken prisoners by the Osa- 
ges. These squaws were taken for the purpose of 
being carried by our regiment home to their own na- 
tion, to hold out a better inducement to that savage 
tribe to give up Abbey, the white man that had been 
taken prisoner by them during the summer of 1832 
from one of the troops of mounted rangers. 

Company F arrived at Camp Jackson about two 
weeks since, from Jefferson barracks. They were 
twenty-four days upon their route, and traveled over 
pretty much the same road that had been broken 
through by the first battalion the previous fail. This 
troop is for the most part composed of Bostonians. 

Company G arrived a day or two after, and pitched 
their tents a little detached from the extreme left of 
our encampment, which has now grown into a formi- 
dable settlement, on account of this accession to our 



SJRAGOON CAMFAIGN5. 119 

numbers. This last troop was enlisted in the state of 
Indiana. 

More of the companies are assembled now than at 
any time before had been tog"ether ; companies H, I^ 
and K are expected soon to join the main body and 
set forward with iis upon the summer campaign. Our 
camp is now, throughout the day, a constant scene of 
bustle and noise, the blacksmith shops are kept in con- 
tinual operation, tailors and saddlers find constant em- 
ployment, and in fact no one has time to be idle ; one 
half the regiment are daily detailed to watch the 
horses whilst grazing upon the prairies, which is now 
the most severe duty to be performed, standing during 
the whole of the day exposed to the heat of a broiling 
sun, which during the last week has raised the mercury 
to from 103^ to 107^ in the thermometer. 

Besides these occupations, the more immediate duties 
of the dragoons are strictly attended to. It has now 
become necessary to have every man and horse be- 
longing to the regiment got into as good discipline as 
possible. The most egregious oversight on the part 
of Congress, in not providing proper instructors in 
horsemanship and dragoon tactics, is now most se- 
verely experienced ; here is a newly recruited regi- 
ment, under marching orders to explore a wild and 
unknown region of country, perhaps to encounter su- 
perior numbers of an enemy whose lives have been 
devoted to the chase, and who are perhaps the most 
accomplished horsemen in the world, with but about six 
months training, and that under officers who know less 
of the manoeuvres of a cavalry corps than some of the 
dragoons themselves.* It is rather a laughable fact, 

* The accomplished and able writer of a series of letters which 



120 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

and one which reflects but little credit upon the accom- 
plished graduates of West Point, that they should be 
compelled to receive instruction in swordmanship 
from one of the enlisted members of the regiment. 
Such however is the case ; and my friend Long Ned 
(with whom by this time you must have become fa- 
miliar by my frequent mention of his name) regularly 
every afternoon exercises a class of commissioned of- 
jficers in this branch of tactics, which they attempt af- 
terward to impart to the men. They have no reason 

have lately been published under the title ofa " Winter in the 
West," has alhided to this subject in a letter dated " Jefferson 
Barracks, March Sth,''^ in whicli the following remarks may be 
found : 

" The omission of providing ridinfj^-masters and a school of 
practice for both horses and men, is a defect that all the care 
and exertions of the accomplished and energetic officers of this 
corps can hardl}^ rt-medy. The same pains should be taken 
with each individual here as in "setting up" an ordinary re- 
cruit before subjecting him to company drill; and no private 
should be allowed to back the managed charger assigned to him 
before he has taken at least one regular course of lessons with 
the riding-master; nor should a single troop have been sent from 
the head quarters of the regiment before not only every squad 
was perfect in the drill, but every company in the regiment had 
manoeuvred for months together. The omission of the necessary 
provisions in the bill reported by Congress, and the disposition of 
the regiment on the frontier as each company is recruited, al- 
most forbids an approach to such a state of discipline." 

The remarks of this talented writer upon the corps of dra- 
goons in other portions of this highly entertaining work, are such 
as evince a spirit of candor upon his part, and are to be relied 
upon with the utmost exactness. In the note upon the one hun- 
dred and eleventh page of his second volume, he again alludes 
to the state of the regiment, which remarks are also correct. 
And here would I take occasion to remark, that a perusal of the 
volumes entitled " A Winter in the West," will amply repay the 
reader for his lime and trouble. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 121 

however to be ashamed of their instrnclor, for no man 
in the country handles the sword with more grace and 
dexterity; but what I would smile at. is this reverse 
order of affairs — a sergeant instructing his superior 
officers in the very science with which, of all others, 
they should be most familiar. But I have already said 
enough about the internal policy of our army affairs 
to remind you that a change might be effected for the 
better, and the sooner such achange is made, the sooner 
will the ranks of our regiments be filled with better 
material than the ignohile vidgus that crowd the most 
of our military stations. 

The hour reminds me that I must close this letter. 
I will merely add that we are to set out upon the sum- 
mer campaign in two or three days. As I before men- 
tioned, the three remaining troops are daily expected, 
and, immediately upon their arrival, we will take up 
the line of march for the far off regions of the west. 
You shall have particulars whenever I find means of 
transmitting them. 

With respect, I remain yours, <fcc. 



LETTER XIV. 

PROM GEORGE CATLIN, ESQ. 

I take the liberty of inseriing in this volume tlie fol- 
lowing very interesting letter from Mr. Catlin, an emi- 
nent artist who accompanied the regiment of dragoons 



122 DRAGOON CAMPAiaWS. 

from Fort Gibson to the Pawnee village. Mr. G. ac- 
companied the expedition for purposes connected with 
his profession, and brought home with him many 
sketches which will doubtless gratify and delight the 
amateurs of the east. 

Fort Gibson, A. T. \2l1i June, 18^4. 

My Dear Sir, 

Being about to leave the civilized world again for a 
campaign in the Indian country, I take this opportu- 
nity to bequeath a few words to you before the mo- 
ment of departure. Having sometime since obtained 
permission from the Secretary of War to accompany 
the regiment of the U. S. dragoons in tb3ir summer 
campaign, I reported myself at this place two months 
ago, where I have been waiting ever since for their 
organization. After the many difficulties which they 
have had to encounter, they have at length all assembled 
— the grassy plains are resounding with the trampling 
hoofs ofthe prancing war-horse, and already the hills 
are echoing back the notes ofthe spirit-stirring trum- 
pets, which are sounding for the onset. The natives 
are again " to be astonished," and I shall probably 
again be a witness of the scene. But whether the 
approach of eight hundred mounted drai:.oons among 
the Camanches and Pawnees, will afford me a better 
subject for a picture of a gaping and astounded mul- 
titude, than did the first approach of our steamboat 
among the Mandans, &c. is a question yet to be solved. 
I am strongly inclined to think that the scene will not 
be less wild and spirited ; and 1 ardently wish it, for 
I have become so much Indian of late, that my pencil 
has lost all appetite for subjects that savor of tame- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 123 

ness. I should delight in seeing these red knights of 
the lance astonished, for it is then that they show their 
brightest hues — and I care not how badly we frighten 
them, provided we hurt them not, nor frighten them 
out of sketching distance. You will agree with me 
that I am going farther to get sitters, than any of my 
fellow artists ever did ; but I take an indescribable plea- 
sure in roaming through nature's trackless wilds, and 
selecting my models where I am free and unshack- 
led by the killing restraints of society, where a painter 
must modestly sit and breathe away in agony the edge 
■and soul of his inspiration, waiting for the sluggish 
calls of the civil. Though the toil, the privations, 
and expense of traveling to these remote parts of the 
world to get subjects for my pencil, place almost in- 
surmountable, and sometimes painful, obstacles before 
me, yet am I encouraged by the continual conviction 
that I am practicing in the true school of the arts ; and 
that, though I should get as poor as Lazarus, I should 
deem myself rich in studies for the future occupation 
of my life. Of this much I am certain — that among 
these sons of the forest, where are continually repeat- 
ed the feats and gambols of the Grecian games, I have 
learned more of the essential parts of the art in the 
three last years, than I could have learned in New- 
York in a life-time. 

The landscape scenes of these wild and beautiful 
regions are of themselves a rich reward for the tra- 
veler who can place them in his port-folio ; and being 
myself the only one accompanying the dragoons for 
scientific purposes, there will be an additional pleasure 
to be derived from those pursuits. The regiment of 
eight hundred men, with whom I am to travel, will be 
nn efiective force, and a perfect protection against any 



124 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

attacks that will ever be made by Indians. It is com- 
posed principally of young- men of respectable fami- 
lies, who would act, on all occasions, from feelings 
of pride and honor, in addition to those of the common 
soldier. 

The day before yesterday the regiment of dragoons^ 
and the 7th regiment of infantry, stationed here, were 
reviewed by Gen. Leavenworth, who has lately arrived 
at this post, superseding Col. Arbuckle in the com- 
mand. 

B^th reo^imsnts were drawn up in battle array, in 
fatigue dress, and passing through a number of the 
manoeuvres of battle, of charge and repulse. &c. pre- 
senting- a novel and thrilling scene in the prairie to 
the thousands of Indians and others who had assem- 
bled to witness the display. The proud and manly 
deportment of these younof men remind one forcibly of 
a regiment of independent volunteers ; and the horses 
have a most beautiful appearance, from the arrange- 
ment of colors. Kach company of horses has been 
selected of one color entire. There is a company of 
bays, a company of blacks, one of whites, one of sor- 
n^ls, one of greys, one of cream color, (fcc. &c. (fcc. 
which render the companies distinct, and the effect 
exceedingly pleasing. This regiment goes out under 
the command of Col. Dodge, and from his well attest- 
ed qualifications, and from the beautiful equipment of 
the command, there can be little doubt but they will 
do credit to themselves and honor to their country, 
so far as honor can be gained and laurels can be pluck- 
ed from their wild stems in a savage country. 

The object of this summer's campaign seems to be 
to cultivate an acquaintance with the Pawnees and 
Camanches. These are two extensive tribes of roam- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 125 

ing Indians, who, from their extreme ignorance of u&^ 
have not yet recognized the United States in treaty, 
and have struck frequent blows on our frontiers, and 
plundered our traders who are traversing their coun- 
try. For this I cannot so much blame them, for the 
Spaniards are gradually advancing upon them on one 
side, and the Americans on the other, and fast destroy- 
ing the furs and game of their country, which God 
gave them as their only wealth and means of subsist- 
ence. This movement of the dragoons seems to be 
one of the most humane in its views, and I heartily 
hope that it may prove so in the event, as well as for 
our own sakes as for that of the Indians, 

I can see no reason why we should march upon 
them with an invading army, carrying with it the 
spirit of chastisement. The object of government un- 
doubtedly is to effect a friendly meeting with them, 
that they may see and respect us, and to establish 
something like a system of mutual rights with them. 
To penetrate their country with the other view, that 
of chastising them, even with five times the number 
that are now going, would be entirely futile, and per- 
haps disastrous in the extreme. It is a pretty thing, 
and perhaps an easy one, in the estimation of the 
world, for any army of mounted men to be gayly 
prancing over the boundless green fields of the west ; 
and it is so for a little distance ; but it would be well 
that the world should be apprized of some of the ac- 
tual difficulties that oppose themselves to the success 
of such a campaign, that they may not censure too 
severely in case this command should fail to accom- 
plish the objects for which they were organized. 

In the first place, from the great difficulty of organ- 
izing and equiping, these troops are starting too late 
11* 



123 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

in the season for their summer's campaign, by two 
months. The journey which they have to perform is 
a very long one, and ahhoiigh the first part of it will 
be picturesque and pleasing, the after part of it will be 
tiresome and fatiguing in the extreme. As they ad- 
vance to the west, the grass, and consequently the 
game, will be gradually diminishing, and water in 
many parts of the country not to be found. 

As the troops will be obliged to subsist themselves 
a great part of the way, it will be extremely difficult 
to do it under such circumstances, and at the same 
time to hold themselves in readiness, with half fa- 
mished horses, and men nearly exhausted, to contend 
with a numerous enemy, who are at home, on the 
ground on which they were born, with horses fresh 
and ready for action. It is not probable, however, 
that the Indians will venture to take advantage of 
such circumstances, but I am inclined to think that 
tha expedition will be more likely to fail from another 
source; it is my opinion that the appearance of so 
large a military force in their country will alarm 
them to that degree, that they will fly with their 
families to their hiding places amorgst those barren 
deserts, which they themselves can reach only by 
great fatigue and extreme privation, and to which our 
half exhausted troops cannot possibly follow them. 

From these haunts their warriors would advance 
and annoy the regiment as much as they could, by 
striking at their hunting parties and cutting off their 
supplies. To attempt to pursue them, if they cannot 
be called to a council, would be as useless as to follow 
the wind ; for our troops, in such a case, are in a 
country where they are obliged to subsist themselves; 
and the Indians, being on fresh horses, with a supply 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 127 

of provisions, would easily drive all the buffalo ahead 
of thein, and endeavor, as far as possible, to decoy our 
troops into the barren parts of the country, where they 
could not find the means of subsistence. 

The plan designed to be pursued, and the only one 
that can succeed, is to send runners to the different 
bands, explaining the friendly intentions of our go- 
vernment, and to invite them to a meeting. For this 
purpose several Camanche and Pawnee prisoners 
have been purchased from the Osages, who may be of 
great service in bringing about a friendly interview. 

I ardently hope that this plan may succeed, for I 
am anticipatino^ great fatigue and privation in the en- 
deavor to see these wild tribes together, that I may be 
enabled to lay before the world a just estimate of their 
manners and customs. 

I hope that my suggestions may not be truly pro- 
phetic, but I am constrained to say that I doubt very 
much whether we shall see any thing more of them 
than their trails, and the sites of their deserted vil- 
lages. 

Several companies have already started from this 
place, and the remaining ones will be on their march 
in a day or two. General Leavenworth will accom- 
pany them two hundred miles, to the mouth of False 
Washita, and I shall be attached to his staff. Inci- 
dents which may occur I shall record for you. Until 
then, adieu. Your friend and servant, 

Geo. Catlin. 



12^ DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

LETTER XV. 

Two stories and a half. 

My Dear Sir, 

I thought, at the date of my last, that I should not 
again write you before our return from the prairies, 
but an occurrence which took place last evening fur- 
nishes me with a little amusing material. 

It was about half an hour after tattoo, when I was 
about returning to my bunk, somewhat fatigued with 
the toils and heat of the day, when two of my com- 
panions, Corporal Ned Stephens and Harry Benson, 
came into the barrack-room and gave me the wink to 
follow them. 

Accordingly, throwing my guard-cloak around me, 
I left the quarters, and in a few moments our party 
was joined by our friend Long Ned, who had been 
waiting without the sentry-walk for our arrival. 

"Boys," said he, "this is perhaps the last evening 
that we shall spend here. Now, as you know we have 
a long journey in prospect, and have had some months 
of temperance in arrears, I've no notion of letting this 
last chance slip by of partaking of a little rational en- 
joyment. What do you agree to ?" 

"Let's go to Rodger's," said Corporal Stephens, 
" and talk about old times, over a venison steak and a 
drop of whiskey." 

" Not so," said Benson. " The M lost some 

cool hundreds last night at poker,* in camp, and is to 
meet some brother officers at Rodger's to night. So 
that won't do." 

* A favorite game of cards at the south and west 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 129 

*' Well," said Lons: Ned, " the moon shines bright, 
and as the weather bids foir, let's take an out-door sit- 
tino- for want of better quarters. So toss up who goes 
for the whiskey, and then hurra for the hollow be- 
hind the hayouy 

This was agreed to, and it fell to my lot to act the 
part of caterer. So off they started for the hmjon, 
while I trudo^ed across the prairie to our mutual friend 
old Rodger's cabin. 

It was strictly forbidden that any man should leave 
the barrack-ground after dark without a written pass, 
upon any pretence whatever ; and moreover, whiskey 
was a contraband article among the soldiers, probably 
because the officers deemed the supply not more than 
sufficient for home consumption ; therefore the busi- 
ness that I had in hand was one of double risk and 
severe penalty, in case of detection. 

However, I walked boldly up to the house and com- 
menced reconnoitering. First I creeped under the 
window, and saw that the room was lighted, but could 
not distinguish any one distinctly ; presently I heard 
the Major and Captain, talking loudly, and soon dis- 
covered what was going on. 

" I'll stake you another ten," cried the M . 

" Done," said Captain . 

" Twenty more," said the M . 

''Done," said the Captain. 

" Fifty more" said the M- 



" Done," said the Captain. 

The M hesitated ; the coolness of the Captain 

threw him off his oruard ; at last he struck his fist 
upon the table and roared at the top of his voice, 

" I'll stake you another hundred." 

" Done," said the Captain. 



130 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

The M dared not risk more, and throwing 

down his cards exclaimed, 

" Tliere's four kings ! What have you got ?" 

" Only four aces !" said the Captain coolly, as he 
began to scrape the money together. 

" D— m n n !" roared the M , at the same 

time splitting the pine table with a blow of his fist. 

That's enough, thought I, the M has lost again, 

and we shall probably have an hour's extra drill in 
the morning to make up for it. 

Some one now came into the hall, and I skulked 
down into the grass until 1 should see who it might be ; 
the fellow, however, came into the moon-light, and I 
discovered him to be one of old Rodg^ers' slaves. 

"Ben— Ben — Ben," I whispered as loud as I 
dared—" Ben— Ben, I say." He heard the last call, 
and came to where I was sitting in the grass. 

" Ben," said I, " here's a dollar — hurra for a quart 
of whiskey in a twinkling.' 

The fellow was used to such calls, and obeyed in- 
5^a/2^er; and in a few minutes more I was "making 
tracks" toward the trysting place. 

A more lovely and retired spot could not have been 
selected for the carousal of a party of skulking soldiers, 
than the hollow behind the hayou. There I found Long 
Ned, as usual, master of ceremonies, upon the stump 
of an old oak tree, and the rest of the company reclin- 
ing upon the grass, after the fashion of a Gipsey group. 
After the bottle had gone around, it was proposed that 
every man should tell his story ; this Avas carried, and 
Corporal Stephens being second in rank, was appoint- 
ed to speak first ; and after prefacing his story with 
sundry clearings of the throat, and divers flourishes, 
commenced. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 131 

*' Gentlemen, and fellow-soldiers, like Irving^s Jack 
Buckthorne, I was born to great expectations, which, 
to anticipate my story, a litle is all that I ever realized. 
I had the misfortune to have a rich uncle, who, after 
I had paid all the attention to, that I was able whilst 
living, left me the price of a Bible in his will." 

" Ha ! ha ! ha !" roared Long Ned, loud enough to 
be heard at the barracks. 

" No laughing matter, gentlemen, I assure you," ex- 
claimed the corporal ; "why, he cut me off without a 
shilling." 

" The old man," said Benson, " had too much love 

for you to put temptation in your way — here's his 

health," he continued, putting the bottle to his mouth. 

" Stop ! stop !" cried the corporal, " he's been dead 

these six years." 

" Well, then, we'll drink peace to his ashes, provid- 
ed there's any thing left of him." 

" Well, as I was saying, the old gentleman left me 
the price of a Bible, and the rest of his property all 
went to a fellow that he had only seen once in his 
life." 

" There's disinterested benevolence for you !" inter- 
rupted Long Ned. 

" Benevolence with a vengeance !" roared, the cor- 
poral. " Squandered— clean wasted! — why it didn't 
last the cub two years after the old gentleman's 
death." 

" So much the better for you — who knows what 
you might have come to if you had got the money," 
said Benson. 

"Gentlemen," cried the corporal, "let's drop that 
subject — I hate to dwell upon such things too long- 
so let's proceed. Well, I had picked up a Little latin 



132 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

at school, and so, thinks T, here it is with me, neck or 
nothing, so off I started for New- York ; and opened a 
grammar school for young gentlemen." 

"You a grammar school! ha! ha!— but go on," 

said Benson. 

'• Yes, gentlemen, I might have done very well too, 
hadn't things turned up rather badly the first quarter." 

" No doubt," said Long Ned, in his sleeve. 

" Then I set about writing pieces for newspapers." 

"Worse and worse,'' again interrupted Long Ned. 

"Better and better, if you please," continued the 
corporal ; '• this brought me two dollars a week, besides 
the old paper, which made up a half dollar more." 

"So you turned editor, eh 7" asked Benson. 

" Why not exactly editor either. I' manufactured 
accidents, and fires, and providential escapes, and the 
like. In this way 1 went on pretty comfortably for 
about two years, when one day, as 1 was coming 
through the Park, I saw a great crowd of people, and 
thinks I to myself, here is something in my line, and 
so I elbowed through the crowd, and who do you think 
I saw there in the clutches of a police officer, and so 
drunk that he could hardly stand, and as ragged and 
shabby as a beggar ? Why no other than the heir to 
all my uncle's property." 

" That was an item for you," said Long Ned ; " your 
hand must have trembled as you wrote the fellow's 
name." 

" Why," said the corporal, " Gentlemen, to tell you 
the plain truth, that very circumstance immortalized 
me. 1 went to my office (I occupied one corner of 
the editor's) and then I sat down and wrote a long 
article upon the 'dreadful effect of young men being 
left large fortunes.'" 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 133 

"How did it go down ?" asked Benson. 

'' Go down ! why, sir, it was copied into every pa- 
per in the country in less than a month, and on account 
of the number of subscribers that it brought the paper, 
I was allowed a dollar a week more pay — why, I was 
a made man ; I left the victualing-shop where I had 
lived upon sixpenny cuts of roast beef and turkey for 
the two years past, and took lodgings in a regular 
boarding-house — took an office upon my own account, 
and issued prospectuses for a new weekly paper. 1 de- 
termined that I would no longer waste my brains for 
other people, so the next week saw my name in full 
at the head of the Magazine. The first diffi- 
culty that I met with was to procure paper ; 1 had 
spent all my spare funds in the purchase of divers in- 
cidental little affairs that are alone to be appreciated 
by one who has had to buy the same — so, to get the pa- 
per I had to pawn an old family watch that had de- 
scended down to me, as Mrs. Somebody would say, 
through a long line of distinguished ancestors. On 
this I got ten dollars, and that was enough to buy pa- 
per for the first week's issue, hoping to realize enough 
from the proceeds of them to pay for the second." 

"Well," said Lonof Ned, who had listened atten- 
tively to this detail, " how did you make out ?" 

" Aye, there's the rub ! Make out ? Why, sir, the 
very elements were opposed to me, a rainy day spoiled 
it all ; the boys that I had engaged to sell the papers 
refused to go out in the rain, and so things went on 
till afternoon, when a colored man came into the 
office to buy a paper for his master, who had read a 

flaming puff that I had written for the T , then 

the paper most in vogue ; this inspired my drooping 
spirits, and off I started with a bundle of papers under 

12 



134 6RAG00N CAMPAIGNS, 

my arm, determined to try my own luck; but, alas t 
alas ! my courage soon failed me ; three or four people 
to whom I offered my papers for sale, looked them 
over attentively with a very polite ^I believe not.^ 
This was too much ; back I posted to the office, when, 
lo ! it was as clear of furniture as a poet's purse of 
money. ' What is to pay here V I cried, in a rage, to 
the little rascal that I had left in charge. 

" ' Mr. Smith, sir, came and took the chair and table 
away on a cart, sir,' he answered, as he trembled all 
over, for he saw that I was in a rage. 

" ' And what had Mr. Smith to do with my furni- 
ture ?' I raved. 

" ' Why, sir, he said 'twas all he was likely to get 
for printing the magazine, sir.^ 

" ' The villain !' cried I, ' I will prosecute him for 
damages ;' and I cast my eyes sorrowfully at the pile 
of magazines on the floor. This Mr. Smith was the 
only man that had offered to trust me in the first place, 
and now to turn his back upon me in my misfortune, it 
was too much ; I started out, determined to commence 
a suit against him for damages. On my way from my 
empty office to the lawyer's, who should I meet but an 
old school-mate of mine, dressed with a blue round 
jacket trimmed all over with gold lace." 

" ' My good fellow,' said he, ' how are you ? Very 
glad to see you ! How well you look ! Things turned 
out well with you since you left the country V 

" He would have gone on talking for an hour if I 
hadn't stopped him ; so I told him every thing that 
had happened, and just how I was situated. 

" * Now,' said he, ' let me advise you as a friend — en- 
list with me,' 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 135 

^* ' Enlist !' I answered in astonishment, * no, no. 
I am determined to work my way in the world, and 
be somebody. Enlist indeed V 

" ' Good mornino^, sir,' said my military friend drily, 
when he found that I wasn't to be caught so easy. 

" But, gentlemen, to cut a long story short, things 
went on worse and worse with me, and at last I began 
to think of the proposal in good earnest,; eight dol- 
lars a month, thinks I, besides rations, this was too 
much ; so I went to look after my friend, but he had 
gone, his company had been filled up, so I determined 
to enter the service ; off I started to find another re- 
cruiting officer, and in a word, here I am,*' 

'^ Bravo ! bravo !" shouted the whole party, and my 
friend Harry Benson was next called on to tell his 
life and adventures. 

Now, my dear M , if you have never been away 

from home, and among strangers, or on ship board, 
you cannot appreciate the zest with which a yarn is 
swallowed by such an audience, and the more especial- 
ly if you have ever been familiar with the scenes and 
dramatis personoi of the tale. But, not to interrupt 
my friend Harry any longer, let us listen to his story. 
Thus he commenced : 

" I was born in the city of Dublin, in the swate lit- 
tle island of Erin, and my father followed the respect- 
able-calling of a shop-keeper. But I was born to be 
a great man, and so I mean to be yet. Look there," said 
Harry vehemently, (as he pointed to a mole upon his 
right arm,) "do you see that? Well, if you do, that's 
enousrh. If there is a word of truth in the dream- 

o 

book, Harry, says I to myself, you'll live to see the 
day when you'll be a great man." 

^'Ha — ^ha — ha !" roared all the party except Harry^ 



136 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

who went on as soberly as if he had been saying his 
prayers. 

" Did you ever read Bonaparte's memoirs ? because, 
if you did, you couldn't help knowing that he was a 
great man," continued he. " Well, now 1 read them 
when I was a boy, and immediately, says I, Harry, 
you was born to be a great man, and so you shall be. 
Now, just as I was thinking all this over in my own 
mind, who should come into the room but the old 
gentleman. 

" ' Now,' says he to me, 'Harry,' says he, 'how do you 
like Mr. Ferris V 

" ' Is it how do I like him, do you say ? Why, he's a 
decent man enough for a shop-keeper,' says 1, ' but he's 
not at all like Bonaparte neither.' 

" ' And what do you know about Bonaparte, you 
limmer of Satan T said he. 

" ' Is it what do I know about Bonaparte V says I. 
^ Why, didn't I just finish reading his memoirs, and 
havn't I got a mole on my right arm to boot,' says I ; 
' and didn't the fortune-teller in Bow-street say to me,* 
* Harry,' says he, ' you was cut out for a great man ; now 
see that your father don't spoil the pattern V 

" 'Now hark'e,' said the old gentleman, in a pecu- 
liar accent that I shall never forget, ' I am going to 
bind you to Mr. Ferris to-morrow.' 

" ' Bind me to Mr. Ferris ! What ! make a haber- 
dasher out of a man with a mole on his right arm !' 
and all the horrors of a seven years' apprenticeship 
arose before me. 

" ' Make yourself in readiness,' said the old gentle- 
man, and left the room. 

" Harry, says I, you're in a bad fix this time, not- 
withstanding. Seven years, thinks I — what's to be 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 13? 

done ? However, to cut it short, gentlemen, the next 
morning when the old man came where I was, I wasn't 
there, that's all." 

" Well," cried Long Ned impatiently, •' where did 
you go ?" 

"Leave me alone for that," said Harry, '-'where 
should a gentleman go that had the mark of being a 
great man all over him ; why I went to London and 
made my first inquiry for the horse guards, and in a 
crack Harry Benson was on the high road to promo- 
tion, having enlisted as a private in his majesty's 

regiment of foot, and in less than a month I got to be 
third corporal ! Thinks I all this time, Harry, what 
might the old gentleman say if he knew where you 
was ; but better so, thinks I. than measuring tape be- 
hind Mr. Ferris's counter." 

" Well, Harry," said the corporal, " how did you get 
to America — between two days, eh ? " 

•' The divil a man^'' said Harry, in reply to this in- 
sinuation, " can say that Harry Benson is a deserter. 
No, no, honor among thieves ; I procured an honora- 
ble discharge from his majesty's service and sailed 
next day for America. Having been a soldier at home, 
I was soon induced to become a soldier here. You 
know as well now as I can tell you. how they talked 
to a fellow when they wanted to enlist him, and so I 
shall save myself the trouble of telling it."* 

* The history of Harry Benson'iS exploits while in his ma- 
jesty's service have been wouni into a most interesting narra- 
tive by my excellent friend Mr. John M. Moore, and published 
in his highly entertaining paper. The incidents as related 
above, although in some respects differing from those related of 
him in the European, may be relied on as authentic, as I got 
them from Harry's own mouth. 

12* 



138 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

" Harry," says the corporal, " don't your conscience 
sometimes trouble you ?" 

" Now and then," answered Harry, " but I keep it 
for the most part smothered in whiskey." 

Harry's story gave universal satisfaction, and after 
another round from the bottle, Long Ned hem'd and 
began. 

" My father was a major in the British lancers," he 
commenced, and seemed to stretch himself three 
inches above his usual height. '' When I was twelve 
years old he was stationed at Castle Cornet, in the isl- 
and of Guernsey, from whence I was sent to college at 
London ; here I stayed till I was seventeen, when I got 

the appointment of cornet in the dragoon guards, 

and shortly after was appointed riding-master to the 
regiment, in which station I remained for nearly five 
years ; but becoming tired of the inactive service of 
a heavy dragoon, I obtained a transfer into an East 
India regiment, and went to Maidstone for the pur- 
pose of joining them ; but there altering my mind, I ob- 
tained a commission in a regiment then fitting out to 
join the Liberals in Portugal, in the service of Don Pe- 
dro. About the middle of July we set sail from Lon- 
don, over a hundred strong, and arrived some two or 
three days after at Plymouth ; from here we took ship, 
and were nine days upon our passage to Oporto. Thus 
far we had not lost a single man. Coming in view 
of the city, I was struck with the grandeur of the 
scene, built upon its seven hills, and at this time sur- 
rounded by more than fifty thousand of the enemy's 
troops, who were continually pouring in tremendous 
volleys of shot and shell. Perceiving our ship, they 
did us the honor to send us a shell in our direction, 
which carried away the jib-boom. We lay till night 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 139 

off the city, and then disembarked amid the fire of the 
enemy's musketry, but fortunately we only lost two 
men. We marched into the town, and when we went 
through the streets were cheered by the ladies from 
the windows and balconies, who waved their white 
handkerchiefs and cried. Viva la Constitution ! Vitm 
la Anglais ! Viva la Don Pedro ! We quartered that 
night in an old convent situated a little without the 
town, called the Convent de Seminario. The second 
day after our arrival I was appointed adjutant of the 
regiment, and met the enemy five days afterwards in 
a skirmish, near a little fort on the opposite side of the 
river Duro, called the Sara Convent^ garrisoned by 
about eight hundred men. Then as ■ 

"Halt! — stand! — take them all prisoners!" cried 
the sergeant of the patroll, who had overheard us 
laughing, and now commanded that we should be 
taken to the guard-house. 

" Sergeant, a word in your ear !" said Harry. " It's 
somewhat cold I think to-night." 

" Cold ! " re-echoed the sergeant, " why it's hot 
enough to roast eggs ! " 

" That's just what I mean," said Harry ; " so take a 
drop of the creatur and say no more about it." 

During this conversation Long Ned and the cor- 
poral had slipped slyly away, and skulked into camp, 
whilst Harry Benson and myself were the only ones 
of the party left in the custody of the patroll. 

"It can't hurt you, sergeant," continued Harry, "so 
put your lips to the bottle and take a wee taste." 

The sergeant yielded, and, of course, after him 
all the rest of the guard, therefore the next morning 
found us, as usual, at roll-call, nevertheless sorry that 
Long Ned's story had been interrupted. 



140 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 



LETTER XVI. 



Various incidents on the march from Fort Gibson to the Pawnee 
Village. 

Camp Washita, July, 1834. 

My Dear Sir, 

Our command has just halted, and I seize the op- 
portunity to write you a line to accompany a few 
leaves of my journal, and never upon a spot more ro- 
mantic was a letter ever penned. A grove of forest 
trees, the first that we have met for several days, af- 
ford us a delightful and refreshing shade ; our men 
and horses are lying upon the grass in every direction, 
and a more lovely scene you may not well imagine. 

A baggage-wagon is to be sent back to Fort Gib- 
son to-day, and the driver has consented to be the 
bearer of this. I have but a moment, however, to de- 
vote to you, and must content myself with transmit- 
ting the enclosed extract from my notes, which I have 
been somewhat particular to take. 

Encampment, west hank of the Arkansas, 

June 15, 1834. 

The three last recruited troops arrived at Camp 
Jackson on the afternoon of the 12th, and pitched a 
temporary encampment on the left of our barracks. 
Three days having been allowed them to prepare for 
the summer campai2:n, we set forward this morning, 
and crossing the Neosho at Fort Gibson, travelled be- 
tween three and four miles and pitched our tents 
along the west bank of the Arkansas. The eight 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 141 

troops .which form the command (company "K" 
having been left at Camp Jackson) are nearly full, 
and, together with the other personages who accom- 
pany the regiment, form quite a formidable and im- 
posing cavalcade ; of these personages I will take oc- 
casion here to remark at length hereafter, all the 
representatives of friendly Indian tribes who intend 
to accompany us on the campaign not yet having ar- 
rived. The country on the west side of the Arkansas 
is occupied by the Creeks and Osages ; the land is 
somewhat higher than on the opposite bank, and is 
remarkably rich, but the Indians take but little pains 
to improve it, only raising sufficient corn for their 
own scanty consumption. The Cherokees, on the 
opposite side, are by far a more industrious and en- 
terprising race, and many of them live much in the 
manner of their civilized neighbors. 

A portion of the prairie over which we travelled to- 
day presented a truly beautiful appearance ; it was 
covered with the prickle-pear, the broad yellow blos- 
soms of which species, when reflected on by the sun, 
exhibited the appearance of a burning sea of gold, and 
presented a lively and grateful contrast to the dense 
billow of green beyond it. 

We remained at our encampment on the bank of 
the Arkansas until the morning of the twenty-first, 
when we were joined by the Indian chiefs and others 
who are to accompany our regiment upon the cam- 
paign ; and all arrangements being completed, we took 
up the line of march toward the Washita river, over 
the new road which, agreeable to the order of Gene- 
ral Leavenworth, had been laid out, and at eight 
o'clock on the morning of the twenty-first we were 
again defiling over the prairie. Toward evening we 



142 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

crossed the north fork of the Canadian, and having, 
during the day, accomplished twenty miles travel, 
encamped, about sundown, about one mile west of its 
banks. This i iver, which is at times a considerable 
stream, was at this period, however, quite low, owing 
to the peculiar dryness of this season, and we had but 
little difficulty in fording it, the water scarcely reach- 
ing above our horses knees. This portion of the 
country abounds in buffalo, which, from various ap- 
pearances, seem to have been quite numerous here 
this season ; the soil is peculiarly rich, but for the most 
part lies in a state of unprofitable idleness, and so, in 
all probability, it will continue while in the hands of 
the indolent and half-civilized Indians who hold it. 
But such, probably, is not long destined to be the case, 
for the country is by far too inviting to escape the 
notice of the throng of settlers who almost daily keep 
moving toward the west. A few short years will pro- 
bably so far change the aspect and character of this 
region, that many an humble and adventurous squat- 
ter will rear his log-cabin at the very base of the Rocky 
Mountains. 

Colonel Dodge, with a small detachment of forty 
men, left us at this camp and hurried forward to the 
Washita, where he expected to be reinforced by a di- 
vision of two companies of infantry, under command 
of General Leavenworth. 

Among the Indians who form part of our command^ 
are representatives from the tribes of the Osages, 
Cherokees, Delawares, Senecas, and Mohawks. 

The Cherokee party being under the command of 
a chief called Dutch^ a man remarkable among them 
for his prowess and courage, as well as for the many 
successful enterprises which he has carried on against 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 143 

the neighboring tribes, and also a fellow of fine per- 
sonal appearance. 

George Bullett, whose Indian name is Pon-da-gne- 
se, is the principal leader of the Delawares. 

A Frenchman, named Beatiej who has lived many- 
years among the Osages, has command of this party ; 
he is also a celebrated hunter, and possesses great skill 
in his profession. 

De-nath-de-ago is in command of the detachment 
of Senecas. 

We have also with us the two Pawnee girls that 
we took from the Osages last May, and hope that we 
shall hold out some inducement to that savage tribey 
by their restoration, to give up the white prisoner 
which they captured last summer ; and perhaps serve 
to give a pacific tone to our whole intercourse with 
them. 

Scarce any thing worthy of remark took place 
during the next two days travel, except the appearance 
of a prairie mound, at the foot of which we encamped 
on the evening of the twenty-third. It was about four 
hundred feet in height, rising somewhat in form of a 
pyramid. From the summit of this mound the eye 
could range over a wide and lovely extent of country 
in either direction. On one side a magnificent valley 
extended for several miles, while in the distance a 
range of blue hills formed the outline of the land- 
scape. 

From Camp Cass, on the twenty-fourth, we march- 
ed westwardly about eighteen miles, over a richly 
diversified country ; alternate patches of prairie and 
timber-land afforded a gratefiil relief to each other, and 
after dark, on the evening of the next day, we forded 
the stream of the Canadian. 



l44 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

We passed through an Osage village on our route 
between the Canadian and the False Washita — a 
nation that have perhaps profited as little by civiliza- 
tion as those who have never been visited by the 
whites. They still retain most of their wild habits, 
hving mostly upon game. They possess a vrst extent 
of country, almost entirely uncultivated. During the 
winter they clothe themselves in the skins of the buf- 
falo and other wild animals, but, in the warm season 
of the year go almost entirely naked, painting their 
bodies and faces in the most grotesque and unmeaning 
manner. The village contained about three hundred 
beings, male and female, including children. They of- 
fered us many trifles of their own manufacture in ex- 
change for tobacco and butcher-knives. Many of the 
men left their village and accompanied our regiment, 
and many trifling articles which they could not 
obtain from us by traffic, they found means of pil- 
ferinor. 

This people reminds me of the wandering Gypsies, 
hunting and theft being their only means of subsist- 
ence. During the summer they wander about from 
place to place, providing for to-day without a thought 
of to-morrow. Frequently, during their wanderings, 
they fall in with other tribes, who infest the prairies 
either for plunder or other mischievous purposes, and 
engage in the most cruel and sanguinary wars. It 
was during one of these intestine broils that this tribe 
took from the Pawnees the two girls, prisoners, who 
accompany our regiment. 

On the twenty-seventh we crossed the Blue River, 
which region about there is richly impregnated with 
iron ore, and here we had the honor to kill the first 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 145 

buffalo that had been attacked by any of our men 
since the commencement of the march. 

On the thirtieth we were joined by General Leaven- 
worth, who declared his intention of accompanying 
the command, in person, to the Pawnee village. We 
learned that some companies of infantry were to ac- 
company us. Lieutenants Northrop and Steen joined 
us from the west side of tiie Washita, which river we 
forded with much difficuky, and the loss of ten or 
twelve of our horses, which were drowned. 

This river is not very wide, and the water, which 
is of a muddy red color, runs between high and 
prominent banks of a miry nature, which made it 
very inconvenient for our horses to land. 

We remained in camp all day on the second of 
July, and were engaged pretty much all the time on 
the third, in making preparations for our crossing this 
stream. The water being quite deep, we were obliged 
to swim our horses. Our baggage-wagons (which are 
the greatest drawback to a military expedition that 
can be experienced) we were obliged to transport by 
means of a raft, constructed of canoes lashed together 
and covered with plank ; we also used a canvass boat, 
covered with gum elastic, belonging to Lieut. Col. 
Kearney, which we found to answer an excellent 
purpose. Having, at length, ferried over all our 
movables, we encamped for a few days upon the 
bank. 

Our regiment is now re-organized. We leave one 
hundred and forty-nine men at this camp, on duty, U 
and eighty-six sick. General Leavenworth also re- 
mains here. Six companies of forty-two, rank and 
file, set forwardthis morning. Having abandoned our 
baggage-wagons, we shall make more rapid headway. 
13 



J46 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

On the seventh of July, the weather being extreme- 
ly oppressive, we commenced our march from the 
Washita. It having become far advanced in the day 
before we set out, we traveled but about eight miles, 
when, after encamping and strengthening our guard, 
the greater portion of the command worn down by fa- 
tifi^ue and the extreme heat of the weather, lay stretch- 
ed asleep upon the grass. Many suspicious signs 
were noticed, such as pony tracks, recent fires, &c. 
and, in fact, an Indian spy, probably a Pawnee or Ca- 
manche, was discovered lurking near the encamp- 
ment, and pursuit was made after him, but to no 
effect. The night being extremely dark, and in an 
enemys country, anxiety naturally pervaded every 
rank ; all was still and silent; the smouldering embers 
of our fires, occasionally stirred bj'^ the evening breeze, 
shot forth a momentary flickering, which only served 
to render the night still m.ore dark and gloomy. 
Naught could be heard save the steady step of the 
sentinel, or the occasional tramping of the horses, 
which were picketed at our heads, in the centre of the 
encampment. It had probably reached the hour of 
mid-night, when we were startled from our sleep by the 
report of a gun ; our horses broke their fastenings and 
ran in every direction ; all was confusion and dismay ; 
each man seized his carbine, and prepared himself 
for an immediate attack ; the bugle sounded the as- 
sembly-call ; the several companies arranged them- 
selves opposite to their respective divisions; every 
one expecting that the Indians were upon us. In this 
state things remained for some time, when the alarm 
began, in a manner, to abate, and the tumult was as- 
certained to have been caused by a sentinel's having 
fired upon a horse that had slipped his fastening and 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 147 

wandered without the guard. The horse immediately, 
when shot, run violently among the other horses, 
causing them to become frightened and dispersed in 
every direction. 

Our horses being, at this juncture, our chief depend- 
ence, required us to use active and immediate exertion to 
regain them ; fearing, too, thatthey might fall into the 
hands of the enemy, we divided ourselves in small 
parties, and taking different routes, set out in search 
of them ; after being on the watch all night, we found 
5ill of them again, with the exception of ten. 

We remained in camp all day, and next morn- 
ing set out at early dawn. We had proceeded but a 
few miles, when we discovered a party of mounted 
Indians on our left, (probably Pawnees,) and were im- 
mediately ordered to halt. A party of about forty 
dragoons, under the command of Captain Hunter, 
was ordered to advance toward them with a flag of 
truce. When they had proceeded about two miles, 
they despatched a messenger back to the regiment, 
with the report thatthey could distinguish three white 
flags among the Indians ; but this was probably a mis- 
take, for we lost sight of them shortly after, and saw 
no more of them for several days ; but from this time 
forward did we carry, in advance, and on either side 
of us, a flag of truce. 

I have but a moment to spare as the wagon is about 
to start. I will not probably be able to forward you 
another Istter until after our return to Fort Gibson. I 
will, however, mark down in my journal all incidents 
that may occur, of an interesting nature, on the route. 
The weather is excessively warm, and we are about 
entering the Grand Prairie. Our little band is daily 
diminishing in numbers on account of sickness. We 



148 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 



are obliged to construct temporary sheds of poles 
covered with boughs and leaves, under which the sick 
men are sheltered from the scorching sun. As I be- 
fore mentioned, General Leavenworth remained at 
the sick camp, on the Washita. 



LETTER XVIL 



Continuation of march from the Grand Prairie to the Pawnee Vil- 
lage, and return march lo Fort Gibson. 

Fori Gibson, A. T. 1834. 

My dear Sir, 

Since the date of my last we have had many a toil- 
some and weary day. We have, indeed, fulfilled, to 
the letter, one count in the specified object of our en- 
listment, that is, " to scour the prairies and forests of 
the west." You can be as little aware of the diversity, 
scenes through which we have passed, as of the varied 
reflections of which they give rise to. 

Sometimes the mind will seem unloaded with a 
sinofle burden, wholly absorbed in the excitement and 
novelty of the scenes around it ; then again will a 
cloud pass over this sunny, but too transient dream, 
and relapse into the dull monotony of sad reflections. 
When the day had sunk to rest, and the gray mists of 
evening gathered around j when the weary horses and 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 14"9 

their no less jaded riders might be seen reclining up= 
on the grass around the encampment, then came the 
hour of reflection. Such is the time when our inmost 
souls open themselves upon us, and all that years had 
garnered up in our bosoms flit before us in an instant* 
Often, at such a moment, have I again in fancy min- 
gled with those whom memory has treasured in her 
fondest embrace ; but, even then, when the mind had 
become dead to the scenes around, would oftentimes 
our happiest reflections be dissipated in an instant by 
the echo of some envious bugle note. 

My last, if I remember ario^ht, left us at the bank of 
tlie Washita, from which camp we again continued on 
our march toward the west. The next day we saw, 
in the distance, a number of buflalo, and several hunt- 
ing parties w^ere detached from our regiment to pur- 
sue them. Captain Boone took charge of the small 
party of six, to which I was attached, and directed 
his course through a dense thicket of briers, almost 
impassable, for the purpose of finding two which had 
been killed by the Indians of our party the previous 
night, which having found, we returned with as much 
of the meat as we could carry on our horses, towards 
the regiment, which had already taken up the line of 
march, and depositing it, again set out in quest of 
more ; we rode through several thickets so matted to- 
gether with an undergrowth of nettles and briers, as 
almost entirely to forbid a passage ; our horses were 
so torn by them that the blood literally run in streams 
down their legs and breasts; we ourseh^es not entirely 
escaping, our hands and faces being more or less 
scratched and torn by them. We fell in with but one 
drove of bufflilo during the morning, which having 
been previously fired at and pursued by the Indians, 
13* 



150 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

we were unable to approach near enough to fire 
atnong with any effect. We traveled in different di- 
rections about twenty miles, when toward evening, 
entering the Grand Prairie, we unexpectedly found 
ourselves in the midst of no less than two thousand 
of tliese prodigious animals. 

Within an hundred paces of us stood a fierce bull, 
of enormous size, weighing not less than twenty-five 
hundred pounds ; this was the first favorable oppor- 
tunity that we had yet had of viewing closely one of 
these mammoth creatures. They did not at all appear 
frightened at our approach, and continued quietly 
feeding upon the prairie-grass, which was here ate off 
quite short, owing to the great number of the herd. 

These animals appear well accomplished for the 
country in which they live ; their heads and necks, even 
down as far as their shoulders, are covered with a 
long shaggy hair, as is also their fore-legs, down as 
far as the fet-lock joint, which serves to protect their 
flesh from the thorns and briars, through which they 
make their way without the least inconvenience or 
harm. 

As we came in sight of this immense drove, we 
alighted from our horses, and one of the party ad- 
vanced slowly and cautiously through the tall grass 
alono* the skirt of the wood, and fired three successive 
balls into the bull, which stood nearest, before he ran, 
which, however, weakened him considerably ; at this 
we all gave chase upon our horses, and fired eleven 
balls into his body before he fell ; we now approached 
as near as our horses would allow, and with one well- 
directed aim laid him prostrate and lifeless. Leaving 
some of the party to hold the horses, the remainder 
commenced the job of butchering him. In removing 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 151 

the hide from the left shoulder, we discovered the 
steel point of an Indian arrow embedded in the flesh, 
and from the callous appearance of the flesh around 
it, imagined that it must have long remained there. 

We loaded our horses with as much of the meat as 
they could carry, and night approaching, we directed 
our course toward the encampment, and having ar- 
rived there, found that several of the other hunt- 
ing parties, that had in the morning started in differ- 
ent directions, had returned no less successful than 
ourselves. 

One of our men this morning picked up upon the 
prairie, under a little brush thicket, several pieces of a 
pair of saddle bags, which, no doubt, had belonged to 
a citizen named Martin, who had been murdered by 
the Pawnees but a few weeks before, on the Washita 
river. 

The barbarous acts of these savages are not alone 
confined to their own dominions, but extend as far east 
even as the waters of the Arkansas, their principal 
aim is to intercept the Santa Fe traders, when their 
object is plunder. As I have remarked in a previous 
letter, company '•' A " of our regiment accompanied 
one of these parties this summer ; but of late years 
the strength of these expeditions has been fully able 
to effectually repulse any attack on the part of the 
Indians. 

About an hour after sunset we pitched our encamp- 
ment, and after having used more than ordinary exer- 
tions to secure our horses, and doubling the guard, 
the greater portion of the command sought repose, 
which, after a day of great excitement and extreme 
fatigue, was peculiarly grateful. 

The next morning we merged from the little skirt 



152 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

of wood and entered upon the grand prairie, a level 
and unbroken sea of green as far as the eye could ex- 
tend. In every direction n^ight be seen herds of deer 
and buffalo, and occasionally a drove of wild horses ; 
these animals are very numerous here, and several 
have been taken by the Indians of our party ; they are 
remarkably fleet and beautiful, and not stunted and 
thick-legged as those usually rode by the Indians, 
which deformity is caused by their breakins^ them 
much too young, and before their limbs have attained 
their proper growth. 

The next day we started early upon our march, 
and when about six or eight miles upon our route, we 
discovered on an eminence about three miles in ad- 
vance of us, a party of mounted Indians, apparently 
about forty in number. We moved cautiously toward 
them, and halting our main-body about a mile distant 
from them, sent forward our van-guard in their direc- 
tion. They had advanced but a little distance, when 
the Indians sent forward a party of about the same 
number to meet them ; but becoming suspicious, they 
several times retreated, after having come within a 
few hundred yards of our guard. After repeated 
fruitless attempts to treat with them in this manner, 
the guard was recalled, and a single officer detached 
to meet them. The leader of the Indian party set 
forward from his followers, and in the centre between 
the two parties they met. 

This was a moment of intense and breathless 
anxiety, and upon the event of their meeting evidently 
depended the whole issue of our expedition ; every 
voice was hushed, and even our horses seemed in- 
stinctively to maintain order and silence. 

The hand of friendship was cordially proffered on 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 153 

OUT part, and fearlessly accepted by the chief, and in 
a few moments more, with a confidence but little to be 
expected from these savages, they were riding in the 
very centre of our columns. Prom our interpreters 
we learned that they belonged to the Camanche tribe, 
and had left their settlement on a hunting expedition 
for buffalo. 

We made known to these Indians that the object of 
our visit to their country was to hold treaties with the 
several different tribes, and endeavor if possible to 
make an established peace, not only between the va- 
rious nations themselves, but with the whites upon 
the border-settlements. They seemed much pleased 
with our design, and offered to conduct us to their 
own wigwams, and to point out the road to the Paw- 
nee villages, and we immediately set forward under 
their guidance. 

The Camanches are a very numerous tribe, and 
extend themselves over that vast extent of country ex- 
tending between the Red River and the north fork of 
the Washita, which you may easily point out upon 
the map. They have no established villages, but wan- 
der about from place to place, living chiefly upon game 
-and wild fruit. They are armed with bows and ar- 
rows, and spears, and clothe themselves in the skins of 
the buffalo, elk, and deer. They are of a bright cop- 
per color, their faces broad and large ; they are gene- 
rally muscular men, and differ only in appearance 
from their squaws in the manner of wearing the hair, 
the latter bavins: their heads cropt very short, whilst 
the former wear their hair in long tufts. They are 
the allies of the Pawnees, Kioways, and Arripahoes, 
and together, when prepared for battle, form a host 
not easily conquered. Among the Camanche women 



154 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

we discovered several Spanish females who had pro- 
bably spent the greater portion of their lives among 
the Indians, and had assimilated their manners to their 
wild habits. 

The Camanche, when mounted, presents a fine clas- 
sic appearance; with his covering of variegated hide, 
his broad shining face, his spear and target, he is apt 
to remind one of the more chivalrous days of ancient 
Britain, when the tilt and tourney claimed no less 
the prowess of the bold than the plaudits of the fair ; 
when the knight templars laid lance in rest, and sove- 
reigns marshalled their followers on the plains of 
Palestine. 

The events of this day have been of a very inte- 
resting character, and we begin to have greater hopes 
of success in attaining the grand object of our expe- 
dition, that is, to obtain an interview witfi the Pawnee 
tribes, and if possible effect an amicable treaty. 

It rained violently throughout the next night, and 
rendered the route much more toilsome to traverse. We 
remained in camp until 7 o'clock the next morning, 
and then again, under the guidance of our Camanche 
friends, set forward on our march. Colonel Dodge 
found to-day, upon inquiry, the Kiowas, Camanches, 
and Pawnees to be allies, and with the single exception 
of their speaking different lancruages, they may in a 
manner be called one nation. The Camanches, how- 
ever, are much the finest looking, and a more noble 
and generous tribe than either of the others ; and with- 
all, the largest, therefore the colonel resolved to delay 
his visit to the Pawnee villages until he had first visit- 
ed the wiofwams of the Camanches. 

As we were this day riding over the prairie, my at- 
tention was attracted by a folded piece of paper blow- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 155 

ing about in advance of the regiment, and dismount- 
ing to procure it, I was surprised to find a half sheet 
of foolscap with eight or ten stanzas of what pro- 
bably was intended for poetry scrawled upon it. 
In any other place I would liave thrown it aside as 
a foolish piece of ignorant composition, but reflect- 
ing upon the strange situation in which I had disco- 
vered this rare specimen of poetic genius, I determined 
to preserve it* as a memento of the wild west, if I 
should ever again be permitted to return to the abodes 
of civilized life. 

Reading it over several times to myself before I could 
distinctly decipher the connection and spelling, I at 
length made known to my troop the prize which I had 
found, and reading it several times more aloud at the 
instigation of Corporal Tim, we had many a hearty 
laugh over the mock pathetic strains of this most har- 
monious piece of composition. You shall have one 
stanza, I will not trouble you with more, as it is so 
foolish an affair; but, considering the novelty of its 
discovery, I assure you I never read it without indulo*- 
ing a hearty strain of laughter. It began thus : 

*' As i walked out one mornin arely 

all down by the side of;i river clere 
Thare i ospyed n lovely damzle 

and she was like a iiliy lare 
i slept up to her and says i Hue lady 

Will you be a seaman's bride 
Says she i wont because i tell you 

ive got an other bow beside." 

* I gave thisstranj^e proauction to the editor of a popular 
weekly paper, upon my return to New- York, who promised it 
a place in his columns, but unlbrtunatt-iy it was swept out ofthe 
office among the rubbish, being, aslhavebelbre observed, quite 
Eoiled and discolored. 



156 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

From the above you may form some idea of the 
style of the remainder, but the drift of the story is this : 
The accepted lover of the lady has been a lono^ time 
absent at sea, and his faithful and patient fair one is anx- 
iously awaiting bis return. As I have shown you by 
the above stanzas, the story opens by the rejectioa of 
another suitor, who seeks in vain to make the lady be- 
lieve that her betrothed perished at sea. She, however, 
faithful to her plighted troth, refuses to listen to the 
addresses of her new admirer, who strives, as the tale 
proceeds, to impress the truth of his story upon the 
mind of the lady, until at length she declares that she 
will never marry any other than her own Riley ^ who 
could not have been so cruel as to have died at sea 
and left her disconsolate. At this the new suitor 
throws off his disguise and proclaims, to use his own 
words, 

" i am the man what you call Riley 
i am your own sea faring man." 

The lady immediately recognizes her lover, and 
much happiness ensues. 

I would not willingly so long have detained you with 
this love-sick tale, but for the peculiar circumstances 
connected with it. The paper upon which it is written 
has become altogether discolored by time and expo- 
sure, but how it ever came to be in this wild western 
prairie I can but little imagine. I have, however, at- 
tributed it to some of the wagoners who attended the 
Santa Fe traders across the prairie upon their trading 
expeditions, or else to one of the troop of rangers who 
last summer pranced over these regions. 

The story, however, independent of its orthography, 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 157 

contains an excellent moral ; it teaches the endurance 
of patience under trials, and an unwavering attach- 
ment to the object of our affections. This production 
has served to illumine many a dark moment, and 
never fails to produce a cheerful effect upon the risi- 
ble faculties of the audience in hearing. 

Cawp Camanche, July 13, 1834. 

Our camp is pitched upon the border of a deep creek, 
the banks of which are quite high and precipitous, 
and we are nearly surrounded on the other three sides 
by a deep ravine, thus being encased within a strong 
natural entrenchment; we are, however, but little 
afraid of any thing like an attack from the Indians, 
the kindness shown us by the Camanches is too evi- 
dent to be dissembled, and we feel but little alarm on 
that score. We are suffering considerably for want of 
water, as well as provisions ; we have been several 
days out of bread-stuff, and subsist entirely upon fresh 
meat. 

We fell in with twelve more Camanches to-day, who 
were upon a hunting expedition^ they were very 
friendly, and shook hands with the soldiers, and join- 
ed our party. The Pawnee girl (one of the two that 
we took from the Osages last spring) recognized an old 
acquaintance among this party, and was enabled, 
through an Osage who speaks English, to interpret 
their " talk." A few miles travel now brought us to 
the Camanche lodge, where we were received in the 
most friendly manner by almost an hundred mounted 
men, who, evidently with strong signs of fear, came 
out to meet us from their camp, which is pleasantly 
situated in a valley. This day, as Lieutenant Whee- 
14 



158 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

lock observed, was a very interesting one, absolutely 
so, and peculiarly so, when six nations, some of whom 
had but recently been at war with each other, shake 
hands cordially together; a form, it is true, but a type^ 
it is believed,, of permanent peace, which must pro- 
mote the interest of the whole country. 

The Camanche camp, which is composed of about 
from two to three hundred wigwams of poles covered 
with tanned hides, is but a short distance from the 
spot upon which we pitched our encampment, and 
special orders have been issued that no soldier, or even 
officer, without special permission, shall visit it after 
dark ; our own camp is surrounded by a chain of sen 
tinels,,and every precaution taken to guard against 
any thing which might occur ; herds of horses, not 
less than three or four thousand, are grazing around 
the encampment. From all appearance, this tribe 
have been but a few days at this camp ; their great 
chief is now absent upon a hunting expedition. The 
American flag is waving over the lodge ; how they 
procured it I am unable to say, unless from the Santa 
Fe traders, whom they make it a business to plunder. 
The morning that we arrived here was thick and 
hazy, yet still the landscape could be discerned as be- 
ing bold, rugged, and beautiful. On our right and 
rear lay a vast prairie of unvaried green ; its tall grass, 
when swept by the breeze, waving like the surges of the 
ocean to the verge of the distant horizon, and spark- 
ling with its fragrant and delicate flowers as far as the 
eye could reach. On the left, in the distance, could 
dimly be discovered an arm of the Rocky Mountains^ 
the loftiest of whose summit seem to rend the clouds j 
and, on our front, separated by a small stream of water, 
lay the wigwams of the savages. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIONS. 159 

Several of our men have purchased from the In- 
dians the horses which they catch wild, and are wil- 
ling to dispose of for even a blanket or butcher-knife. 
At this time our provisions were almost entirely ex- 
hausted, and we were obliged to trade with them for 
dried meat, which they offered in exchange for tobacco, 
<fec. We purchased it as buffalo, but, in all probabi- 
lity, the greater portion of it was horse meat ; how- 
ever, our appetites were too voracious to distinguish 
the difference. 

Having a great number of sick men in the regiment 
we constructed a small shed of a frame covered with 
brush, and left them under a strong guard at this 
t;amp, whilst, the third day after, the remainder of the 
command set forward, under the guidance of an In- 
dian pilot, towards the villages of the Pawnees. Our 
course lay directly across this chain of stupendous 
and rocky mountains. We had been now nearly a 
month without a morsel of bread, and sometimes meat 
was so scarce as to allow not more than a pint of 
broth a day for a man. Sickness and desertion had 
much reduced our little band, and our horses were 
almost worn out with fatigue. Our situation was now 
extremely precarious ; starvation seemed to stare us 
in the face on the one hand, and should th^ Indians 
prove unfriendly, we had but little chance of escape 
on the other ; however, with only one hundred and 
fifty men, we determined to penetrate into the coun- 
try of that nation which particularly formed the sub- 
ject of our treaty. 

Arrived at the foot of the mountains, we were 
obliged to dismount and lead our horses, with the ut- 
most difficulty, over immense ledges of over-hanging 
ffocksj of stupendous size, by which we were encircled 



160 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

on every side ; at one moment we would be sunk in a 
valley from which it seemed impossible to extricate 
ourselveSj and perhaps the next, upon a pinnacle 
overlooking a little world ; the scenery around us sur- 
passed in grandeur and magnificence any thing that 
can be imagined, much less described ; and a few days 
after, traveling over this toilsome and intricate route, 
we arrived at the very spot that contained the whole 
object of our expedition— ^Ae village of the Pawnee 
Picts. 

These Indians, which may more properly be called 
Toyash, are not so fine-looking as the Camanches, but 
they are their allies and friends, as well as of the Kio- 
was. The passage which leads to their village is 
through a narrow defile over a sweep of perpendicu- 
lar rocks, almost inaccessible to human feet. The 
village is situated most delightfully in a rich bottom, 
embedded in the midst of these immense ledges of 
rocks and mountains. Here, according to previous 
appointment. Col. Dodge met in council the chiefs and 
warriors of the Toyash nation, to which place now 
many of the Camanches began to arrive. At this coun- 
cil Col. Dodge, Major Armstrong, (the Indian agent,) 
and General Stokes, (the Indian commissioner,) pre- 
sided. The scene was one glowing with interest, and 
cannot at all be imagined by one that is ignorant of 
the vehemence of Indian eloquence and the wild 
scenes of Indian landscape. 

After the council, composed of these three distinct 
races of human beings, " civilized, half civilized, and 
wild," was in readiness. Col. Dodge spoke as follows.* 

* I must here acknowlege my indebtedness to Lieut. Whee- 
lock, from whose journal of the expedition I have procured the 
replies of the Indians to the inquiries of Coh Dodge. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 161 

*' We are the first American officers who have ever 
come to see the Pawnees : we meet you as friends, not 
as enemies ; to make peace with you, to shake hands 
"with you. The great American captain is at peace 
with all white men in the world ; he wishes to be at 
peace with all the red men in the world. We have 
been sent here to view this country, and to invite you 
to go to Washington, where the great American chief 
lives, to make a treaty with him, that you may learn 
how he wishes to send among you traders, who will 
bring you guns and blankets, and every thing that 
you want. The great American chief wishes also 
to make peace between you and the Osages; you 
have been at war with the Osages; and to se- 
cure peace between you and the Cherokees, Sene- 
gas, Delawares, and Choctaws, and all other red 
men, that you may meet together as friends, and not 
shed each other's blood, as you have done. On our 
way to your village we met a party of Camanches. 
We showed to them a white flag, which said to them, 
* we wish to be friends.' Their principal men were 
gone to hunt ; we treated their old men, women and 
children, Avith kindness ; we gave them presents ; they 
had many horses, we could have taken all their horses 
from them, but did not ; we showed to them that we 
wanted to be at peace with them ; they told us that 
you were their friends ; we were glad to hear it ; we 
have come to your town, and found you as defenceless 
as the Camanches ; we have treated you as we treated 
them. The American people show their kindness by 
actions, and not by words alone. We have been 
told that a white man was made prisoner by you last 
summer ; that a boy was made prisoner by you last 
spring ; we have come now to require the boy at your 

14* 



162 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

hands, for we are told that he is in your town. Give 
us the white boy, and we will give you the Pawnee 
girl that we have brought with us ; we wish to shake 
hands with you, and be friends ; you must now give 
me a positive and direct answer in regard to the white 
man who was taken last summer, and the boy who 
was taken last spring." 

The chief We-ter-ra-shah-ro replied. " I know 
nothing of the man who you say was taken last sum- 
mer ; the white boy is here." 

Colonel Dodge resumed. " I wish the boy brought 
to me ; I will then give to you the Pawnee girl. This 
act, together with all the information you can give 
concerning the man who was taken last summer, will 
be the best proof that you can give of the sincerity 
of your disposition to shake hands and be at peace 
with us. I cannot leave the country until we ob- 
tain possession of the boy, and gain information re- 
specting the man who was taken last summer ; his 
name was Abby; he was taken between the Blue 
river and the Washita, about this time last year." 

Chief. I know nothing of it. I believe they were 
Camanches who took the man. (On receiving some 
intelligence from one of his friends, the chief continu- 
ed:) I remember now, the Oways, who live south, 
did it. 

Colonel Dodge. Do the Oways hunt on the grounds 
between the Blue and Washita rivers ? 

Chief. They hunt there, and 1 have heard that 
they took the man Abby, and when they got near 
their camp, they killed him. 

Colonel Dodge. How far do the Oways live from 
here ? 

Chief. They follow the buffalo as the Camanches 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 163 

do ; they have a town. [Here a pistol was accidental- 
ly fired in the council-lodge, which caused much con- 
fusion. It was soon explained, however, and busi- 
ness proceeded. The white boy who had been sent 
for, was brought in and presented to Col. Dodge ; the 
boy was entirely naked, about seven years of age ; 
his name is Matthew Wright Martin.] 

Chief. I am glad to shake hands with you, with 
the red men that you have brought with you, the Osa- 
ges, Delawares, and Cherokees ; the principal chief 
is not here ; but you are as gladly received as he 
would have welcomed you ; the chief has gone to the 
country of the Pawnee O'Mahaws ; he believed that 
you had gone that way ; the father of the Toyash 
girl went with the chief to seek his daughter. 

Col. Dodge. How did the Camanches obtain the 
American flag I saw flying in their camp ? 

Chief. The Pawnees from La Platte sent two flags, 
one for the Wacoahs, and the other to the Camanches. 
Col. Dodge. Do the Spaniards come here to trade 
with you ? 

Chief. They do ; they left us not long since, and 
went west. 

Col. Dodge. The Americans will give you better 
and cheaper goods than the Spaniards do. Tell me if 
you know where the ranger (Abby) was taken, and 
how he was killed. 

Chief. I have inquired, and have learned this day, 
that the Indians who live near St, Antoine, in Mexico, 
captured Abby, and that they killed him on Red 
River. 

Col. Dodge. What Indians kill our Santa Fe tra- 
ders? 

Chief There is a roving tribe of very bad Indians 



164 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

called Wakinas ; they range north of the country of 
the Arkansas." Col. Dodge here presented the girl to 
her friends, whereupon they conducted her from the 
council. 

Col. Dodge. I am very much pleased at the ex- 
change of prisoners. 1 hope the friends of the girl 
will be happy with her ; she is a good girl ; I wish her 
well. I will restore the little boy to his mother ; her 
heart will be glad, and she will think better of the 
Pawnees ; a bright sun has shined upon us this day ; 
I hope the Great Spirit will let it shine continually 
upon us. You have some Osage prisoners ; the Osa- 
ges have some Pawnee prisoners ; we will exchange 
and give you your Pawnee friends, and you shall re- 
store the Osages to their friends. How many Osages 
have you ? 

Chief. There are Osages here ; they are men who 
were raised here and do not wish to leave us. The 
Delaware woman and boy that we took, died of the 
small pox. 

Col. Dodge. The American president will have a 
treaty of peace made between you all ; then you will 
meet and exchange prisoners; this will be done when 
the next grass grows. The Osages who are with the 
Pawnees, who then wish to return to the Osages, can 
come back to their people. 

Chief. We wish to have it done soon. 

Col. Dodge. The American president wishes to 
see some of each nation shake hands before him ; he 
will give presents to those who visit him, and fix a 
permanent peace between their nations. Peace can- 
not be made with all the tribes, till a large white pa- 
per be Avritten, and signed by the president and the 
hands of, the chief. Will your chiefs go with me now 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 165 

to see the American president? 1 wish also to take 
with me some Gamanche chiefs. The president will 
be happy to see you, and will make you, as I told 
you before, presents of handsome guns, coats, &c. 

This is the proper time to make peace with the red 
men and the white men ; if you do not seize this op- 
portunity you may never have another. The bright 
chain of friendship can now be made bright between 
all the Indians and the white men." 

Chief. We do not like to pass through the timber ; 
it will be hard for our horses to pass through the thick 
timber country between us and the white men. 

Col. Dodge. There are roads — a big road is now 
being made. 

Chief. We have met here as friends, we hope to re- 
main so. The Great Spirit has seen us, as we now 
see the white men, Cherokees, Osages, Delawares, and 
Senecas as friends, we hope to remain so. 

Col. Dodge. I hope so. How came you by the ne- 
gro who is here with you ? 

Chief. This Gamanche brought him; he found him 
on the Red River ; you can take him and do as you 
please with him. 

The council here closed. 

July 23d. — We-ter-ra-shah-ro and two other princi- 
pal men met Gol. Dodge at his tent this morning, 
and held farther talk with him. The four leaders of 
the bands of Indians who were with us were present 
at the talk, and participated therein. Gol. Dodge 
spoke as follows : " Toyash chiefs, I told you yester- 
day that I wished to show the road that leads to the 
great American captain, and make you acquainted 
with the Indians that live on the way thither — have 
you thought of going with me? Our great father 



166 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. ' 

wished you to see the red men who live on the way, 
that you may be better able to settle all difficulties with 
them. You shall be well treated ; presents shall be 
made to you, and you shall be sent back in safety. 
Peace cannot be made unless some of you go ; I am 
not the great captain, he only can make peace with 
yoLi and other red men ; I wish only a few of you to 
go with me ; I wish you to go willingly and as friends ; 
had I chosen to force you to go, it would have been 
easy for me to do so ; you see I do not wish to force 
you.'' 

After a good deal of consultation, one of the chiefs 
(a Wacoah) consented to go. Here the following 
interesting ceremony took place. The boy whom 
we recovered yesterday is the son of the late Judge 
Martin, of Arkansas, who was killed by a party of 
Indians some weeks since ; the son was with his father 
on a hunting excursion, and being parted from him, 
[his death however he did not witness, and is now in 
ignorance of it,] says, that after being parted from 
his father, the Indians who had taken him were 
disposed, save one, to kill him ; this one shielded him, 
and took care of him in sickness ; Colonel Dodge, as 
a reward for his noble kindness, gave him a rifle, and 
at the same time caused the little boy to present him, 
with his own hand, a pistol. Colonel Dodge now as- 
sured the chiefs that they should receive further pre- 
sents if they would go with him to his country ; that 
he regretted he had nothing of value with him, but 
begged them to accept of some rifles and pistols, wliich 
they did with much evident satisfaction. We-ter-ra- 
shah-ro and the other chief men with him, here con- 
sulted some time together on the subject of visiting the 
president. We-ter-ra-shah-ro spoke, " We have been 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 167 

at war with the nations which we see around us to- 
day : we wish now to make peace with them." 

Colonel Dodge answered him. " It is the wish of 
the president that you make peace with them ; that 
you present to each other clean hands : it is to effect 
this that I wish you to go with me." 

The chief resumed. " We wish much to make peace 
with the Osages, we have been long at war with them j 
we wish to see the lands of the Creeks and Cherokees 
also, to shake hands with all. We want now to hear 
those Indians who came with you to speak to us." 
The chief men of the four parties spoke as follows r 

Dutch, the Cherokee, thus spoke : " I am now go- 
ing to tell you what the chief of the Cherokees bade 
me to say to you if we met as friends. He says to you^ 
he wishes his people to come to you without fear, and 
that you should visit them without fear. My heart is 
glad that we are all willing to be friends ; a longtime 
ago it was so, there was no war between us. I am re- 
joiced, and my people will be rejoiced when they hear 
that it may be so again. Look at me, you see I speak 
the truth. I have nothing more to say." 

Beatte, leader of the Osage band, said, " We came 
for peace. I have brought a few Osages, who were 
not afraid to come among you, with hearts inclined for 
peace. We look on our friend. Colonel Dodge, as our 
father ; he is a true father to us all. I hope you will 
believe all that he has to say to you, and trust that he 
will prove a father to you. We wish you to visit our 
people, to see how we live since the white men have 
been our friends ; they have made us happy, they will 
make you happy ; you shall go with our father as he 
wishes ; you must then come and see the Osages. I 
have said all that I can say." 



168 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

Monpisha, an Osage youth, spoke to the Toyash 
men. "We shake hands with pleasure ; I am nothing 
but a boy, my father was an Osage chief; we wish to 
be peaceable men, and friends. Our good father has 
made, in coming to you, a great road : we hope it will 
never be stained with blood. My father told me he 
was once a wild Indian ; that white men taught him 
to be happy, instructed him how to build houses, raise 
cattle, and live like white men. I was sent to the 
white man's school, (missionary school,) was taught to 
read and write : this will be extended to you, if you 
make peace with white men ; your buifalo will be 
gone in a few years ; your great father, the president, 
will give you cattle, and teach you how to live with- 
out buffalo." 

George Bullet (Pon-da-gne-se) spoke. "When I 
tell the Delawares that we are friends, and can now 
hunt without warring together, they will be happy ; 
our children will hereafter be happy, and not fear each 
other ; we will no more fear the prairie Indian, and 
you will not be afraid of us." 

Colonel Dodge resumed. " I am glad to hear what 
our friends say to you. I must say to you now, that I 
am very sorry that a few of our horses got into your 
cornfield last night. I shall pay you for the damage 
done — it was not my wish to disturb your property in 
any manner. White men will always be just to you. 
I must also repeat that I regretted that the pistol was 
accidentally fired in the council-lodge yesterday ; I 
did not wish to alarm your people : I was pleased 
with the coolness of your chief; he was not alarmed. 
I wish you now to consider if some of you will go 
with me." 

The chiefs signified that they would go home and 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 169 

decide who should accompany the command on its 
march back, and accordingly left our camp. 

Many Camanches arrived to day ; amongst them 
the principal chief Ta-we-que-nah, and two other 
chiefs. Colonel Dodge held the following talk with 
them in his tent. 

" The great American Captain has sent me to view 
this country, and to offer the hand of friendship to all 
the red men who are here ; he wishes to see you all 
at peace with each other ; he desires you to come and 
see him, that he may fix a permanent peace with 
your tribes ; he will make you presents, and he will 
send traders among you, who will serve you with a 
great many things that you want to make you happy. 
The President, who is a good father to you, wishes to 
see you at peace, with the Osages, Cherokees, Dela- 
wares, and all red men. We have endeavored to give 
you evidence of our friendship — we did so when we 
passed your camp ; you were not at home, your wo- 
men and children were defenceless, we treated them 
kindly ; we confided in you too, our sick men we 
left behind near your camp." 

Ta-we-que-nah replied. " I passed a night in your 
camp with your sick men : they treated us with kind- 
ness." 

Col. Dodge. You say that the Indians over Red 
River are your enemies, they kill you when you meet ; 
these are Mexican Indians, and do not make treaties 
with our great father the President ; but he will pro- 
tect you when you make peace with the Osages and 
other tribes that have been at war against you. The 
flag that you have, came to you from the great father 
at Washington. The Pawnee O'Mohaws have such 
15 



ftO DRAGOON CAMPAfONSl 

a flag, and all other red men who are our friends ; 
whenever you show it, you will be known as friends. 
I was glad to see the flag over your camp. 

The chief spoke/. " I wish to be at peace with you. 
There are many bands of Camanches, I shall visit 
them all this year, and will say to them what you' 
have said to me ; they will all be glad to make peace 
with you. I am an old man now, but never, since I 
was a boy, did I kill one of your people. You ask me' 
who killed the ranger, Abby ; I can tell you, for I re- 
member when this white man was taken ; the Texas 
Camanches took this white man and carried him over 
the Red River, and ther« killed him." 

Col. Dodge. I wish some of you to go with me, 
that you may see our country, and that peace may be 
made strongly between you and the red men, as welt 
as between ourselves ; the Pawnee O'Mohaws met the 
Usages, and Delawares, and Cherokees on our lands, 
and there made peace ; they were enemies before, they 
are now friends, and do not hate each other. We 
wish you to come to us, and make, in the same 
way, peace with us. 

Te-we-que-nah. You have a girl who was taken 
from our friends the Kiowas. I have a Spanish girl ; 
Ifwill give you the Spanish girl in exchange for the 
Kiowa girl that you have brought with you. 

Col. Dodge. I wish to secure your friendship and 
the friendship of the Kiowas. I wish you to accom- 
pany me. I wish some of the Kiowas to go also ; but 
I do not mean to sell the girl to them ; I mean to give 
her to her relations and friends without price ; I will 
give the girl to her tribe ; they shall see how much 
their friends we are. 

Ta-we-que-nak. If I go with you I shall be afraid 



IHIAGOON CAMPAIGNS. d71 

?lo come back tlirough the timber. I cannot go my- 
self; my brother will go with yon. 

Col. Dodge. I pledge myself that you shall be 
-safely conducted back. 

Here the talk was interrupted by a band of some 
twenty or thirty Kiowas rushing on horseback into 
-camp, and almost into the door of Colonel Dodge's 
•tent ; the squaws and children fled in great alarm. 
The indignation of these Indians against the Osages 
had kindled to a great pitch, and could scarcely be 
kept in respectful bounds in their relation to us. The 
Osages, not many months previously, had murdered a 
larffe number of tiie women and children of the Kio- 
was whilst the men were absent hunting. We held 
in possession, of which they w^re informed, a Kiowa 
girl, who was taken on the occasion of the massacre 
alluded to^. the Kiowas having just arrived, were not 
■aware of the intention on our part to restore the girl, 
and consequently presented themselves in a warlike 
shape, that caused many a man in the camp to stand 
by his arms. Col. Dodge, however, immediately ad- 
dressed them with assurances of our friendly dispo- 
sition, and gradually led them into gentleness. They 
are a bold, warlike-looking Indian. Some of their 
horses are very fine ; they ride well, and were admi- 
rably equipped to-day for fight or flight • their bows 
strung and quivers filled with arrows. They kept 
their saddles chiefly. A relation of the Kiowa girl 
embraced her, and shed -tears of joy at the intimation 
that she should be restored to her father and friends. 
She proves to be a relation of one of the chiefs. An 
arrangement was now made for a general council to 
be held the next day, between the Camanche, Toyash^ 
.und Kiowa nations. 



172 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

July 2ith. — At ten o'clock the chiefs of the council 
began to assemble at the place appointed for the meet- 
ing, which was in a wood about two hundred yards 
from our camp. The father of the Kiowa girl, hav- 
ing learned that she was to be restored, in a speech ad- 
dressed to the Kiowas, whose numbers every moment 
increased, gave vent to his joy, and praise of his white 
friends. All came mounted and armed. Many of 
our officers were present. There were not less than 
two thousand mounted and armed Indians around the 
council. Great excitement prevailed among the In- 
dians, but especially with the Kiowas, who embraced 
Colonel Dodge, and shed tears of gratitude for the res- 
toration of their relative. An uncle of Wa-ha-sep-ah, 
a man of about forty years of age, was touchingly ea- 
ger in his demonstrations, frequently throwing his 
arms around Colonel Dodge, and weeping over his 
shoulders, invoking blessings upon him in a manner 
the most graceful and ardent ; the women came in 
succession, and embraced the girl, who was seated 
among the chiefs. The council being now in order, 
and the pipes having made their rounds. Colonel 
Dodge addressed the Camanche chief, who sat on his 
right, and who interpreted his words to the Kiowas, 
whilst a Toyash Indian, who speaks the Caddo tongue, 
communicated with the Toyash men from Chiom, 
through one of our Cherokee friends, who speaks Eng- 
lish and Caddo : " I am glad to see together the great 
chief of the Camanche nation, the chiefs of the Kiowa 
and Toyash people, and the American officers who are 
with me ; we have been strangers until now. I am 
glad to meet the captain of the Camanches, (Ta-we-que- 
nah.) You must be a great man, and have much power 
with all the tribes around you. I ask you to urge to 



DRIGOON CAMPAIGN'S. 1T3 

Xti'ese Indians what I have said to you, that we are your 
friends, and that, to secure our mutual and lasting 
friendship, it is better for some of each of you to go 
with me, as I have before mentioned to you." 

Here another band of Kiowas, about sixty in num- 
ber, rode up, led by a principal man, handsomely dress- 
ed. He wore a Spanish red cloth mantle, prodigious 
feathers, and leggings that followed his heels like an 
ancient train. Another of the chiefs of the new band 
was very showily arrayed ; he wore a perfectly white 
xiresseddeer skin hunting shirt, trimmed profusely with 
fringe of the same material, and beautifully bound 
with blue beads, over which was thrown a cloth 
mantle of blue and crimson, with leggings and moc- 
casons entirely o f beads. Our new friends shook hands 
all round, and seated themselves with a dignity and 
grace that would well become senators of a more 
civilized conclave. 

Colonel Dodge resumed. " Kiowa chiefs ! I here- 
with present to you your relation ; receive her as the 
best evidence of the sincere friendship of Americans. 
Our great captain, the President, purchased this girl of 
the Osages, who took her from your people, and has 
sent me to restore her to the arms of her friends, who 
love her. The Camanche chief, Ta-we-que-nah, of- 
fered me yesterday, in exchange for her, a Spanish 
girl ; I would not accept of his offer, for the delivery 
of the girl is an act of justice, and is but one of the 
many acts of kindness that the great American Cap- 
tain will be glad to show to you. You, and the In- 
dians who came with us, have long been at war with 
each other ; it is time you were at peace together ; it 
is the wish of the President to secure a permanent 
good understanding among you all. He will send tra. 

15* 



174 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

ders among you. You want guns, blankets, &c. the 
buffalo are becoming scarce ; there are less and less 
every year. You shall have cattle which you can 
keep with you ; you can plant your corn and cultivate 
the soil, as the Cherokees and other Indians do. Here 
is a young man (Mr. Chadwick) who has come out 
with me to see you, and who will return next sum- 
mer, and bring goods and trade with you. I now 
wish you to consider the invitation given you to go 
with me, and assure you you shall receive presents, 
and be safely conducted through the timber country." 
One of the chiefs inquired, " Will you go to-morrow?" 

Colonel Dodge. I wish to go as soon as practica- 
ble, as we have far to go ; I wish you to visit General 
Leavenworth, another of your friends, and a captain 
under the great Captain ; he wishes to see you ; he 
has never seen you ; I should be glad to introduce to 
him two chiefs from each nation, or one chief and some 
of the warriors of each people. 

Titche-totche-cha, chief of the Kiowas, signified his 
willingness to go. We-ter-rah-shah-ro, an old chief, 
(70 years of age,) urged his red brethren to rely on 
the truth of Colonel Dodge's words : " he is a good 
man," said he ; " believe his words." 

The father of the Kiowa girl begged Colonel Dodge 
to accept of a present, which the Colonel declined, re- 
peating what he had before said, that he did not wish 
for ransom or reward ; that the child was given to the 
father as an evidence of the good feeling of his people 
for them. 

Tiche-totche-cha spoke : " The American captain 
has spoken well to-day ; the white men have shown 
themselves our friends. If a white man ever comes 
to my country, he {?hall be kindly treated ; if he wants 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 175 

a horse, or any thing that I have, he shall not pay for 
it ; I will give him what he wants. The council here 
closed, we returned to our camp, and left the Indians 
to decide in regard to accompanying us. It is on all 
accounts desirable to move from here : our provisions 
prove unhealthy for our men, consisting entirely of 
green corn and dried horse and buffalo meat ; the 
weather has been excessively hot and dry ; our men, 
many of them sick, are without a physician or medi- 
cines ; two or three officers are, and have been for se- 
veral days, ill of fevers. The Camanche squaws are 
very troublesome, they steal every thing that they can 
secrete. The Toyash women are infinitely more re- 
spectable ; the difference in these three tribes seems to 
be somewhat thus: the Camanche is an arrogant, 
jealous, savage Don ; the Toyash, a savage farmer ; 
whilst the Kiowa, more chivalric, impulsive, and da- 
ring than either, reminds one of the bold clannish 
Highlander, whose very crimes are made, by the poet, 
captivating ; this tribe has roamed more towards the 
Rocky Mountains until within a few years past." 

Our treaty being concluded, amicable relations be- 
ing effected between ourselves and the Indians, we 
began to feel that the main object of our expedition 
was settled, and congratulated ourselves upon our suc- 
cess in having so happily treated with the hitherto 
deadly enemies of the whites. The difference in our 
number was very striking, with only one hundred and 
fifty men capable of bearing arms, we had marched 
into the midst of not less than fifteen hundred of the 
savages. We remained at their village four days, dur- 
ing which time we were scantily supplied with buf- 
falo or horse meat, corn, pumpkins, watermelons, (fcc. 
which they cultivate in small patches. In exchange 



176 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNU. 

for which, we bartered almost every thing that -vve 
possessed, even to the very buttons from our clothes. 
Colonel Dodge having obtained the consent of seve- 
ral of their chiefs, we made preparations for our home- 
ward march. 

Buffalo, elk, antelope, deer, and wild horses are ve- 
ry plenty in this part of the country, many of which 
were taken by the Indians belonging to our party, as 
well as by some of the dragoons themselves. The 
next morning, at an early hour, the chiefs of three dif- 
ferent tribes visited our camp, and received presents 
of guns and pistols, and other articles, from Colonel 
Dodge. " Fifteen Kiowas, including their chiefs, were 
the first mounted and ready to accompany us. The 
Camanche chief, very cautious, and apparently suspi- 
cious, deferred his coming till late, when four Caman- 
ches and a squaw joined us; there was much delay on 
the part of the Toy ash ; at length the old chief. We- 
ten-ra-shah-ro, a Wacoah chief, (of a small band who 
speaks the same language as the Toyash people, and 
live near their town,) and two Toyash warriors, rode 
into our camp prepared to move with us. The com- 
mand, with the Indians, the white boy and the negro 
in company, marched at three o'clock, and halted at 
five, encamping on the borders of a creek about six 
miles distant. 

Here I must break off"; in a few days I will resume 
my description of our homeward march, till then 
I remain as ever, 

Your friend. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 177 

LETTER XVIII. 

Continuation of march. — Arrival at Fort Gibson. 

Fort Gibson, August, 1834. 
My Dear Sir, 

After the conclusion ofthetreaty, a detailed account 
of which I gave you in my last, we made preparations 
for our homeward march, and, in company with seve- 
ral of the chiefs of the Pawnees, Camanches, Wicos, 
and other wild tribes, in addition to our red friends of 
the Delawares, Osages, <fec. who had accompanied us 
from the fort, we began to retrace our steps, and to 
look forward with no small degree of anxiety and sa- 
tisfaction to the time of our arrival at Camp Jackson. 

On the 28th of July we again set forward from 
the encampment of the previous night,, situated about 
six miles distant from the Pawnee village, and directed 
our course towards the north-east. Nine o'clock found 
us upon the march, and at about four in the afternoon 
we again pitched our tents about twelve miles distant 
upon the prairie : the weather was extremely warm, 
and its effects equally discernible upon the horses, 
as their worn out riders. We suffered very much 
for want of water, and were grateful for the scanty 
draughts which we here and^there could procure from 
the stagnant pools along the trail. 

Deer and buffalo were quite abundant upon this 
portion of the prairie, and we took the precaution to 
lay up a full supply of meat for our march. One of 
our men this day killed a large panther, which animals 
are not uncommon hereabouts. 

It would be doubtless tedious to you were I to re- 
capitulate all the minor events of oui* homeward route ; 



576 ©RAGOON CHAMPAIGNS. 

I will therefore condense as much as possible the ac- 
count of our different days travel towards Fort Gib- 
son. The Pawnee Indian who had served us for a 
guide, left us after the third day, and his place was 
supplied by a Toy ash, who appeared to have a much 
more intimate knowleds^e of the country than his pre- 
decessor, leading the command over a fine level coun- 
try instead of the ravines and rocky precipices over 
which the Pawnee had before kd us. During the next 
afternoon a delightful shower of rain fell, which was 
an event for which we had been long and anxiously 
waiting. The next day we forded the "Roaring Ri- 
ver," a name given to it by the Indians, probably on ac- 
count of the swiftness of its current, which, in times of 
a freshet, becomes quite rapid — this is one of the tribu- 
tary streams of the Red river, between which and the 
north fork of the Washita the dominions of the Caman- 
ches extend. By the by, this tribe are very much dis- 
liked by the Toyash ; being a more powerful tribe, they 
take advantage of them, and plunder and cheat them 
with impunity. The Kiowas are a nation of a very 
different character, being much more honest and tract- 
able. The Pawnees are smaller, and of a darker co- 
lor, and not at all as fine looking as the Camanches. 

The weather still continuing excessively hot, we 
remained encamped during the two succeeding days, 
and the greater part of the command were employed 
in killing buffalo and curing the meat 

During our homeward route, we kept farther to- 
ward the north than we had in going out ; and upon 
crossing the Canadian river, we were distant an hun- 
dred miles from the point which we had forded during 
our westward march. Although the heat was so ex- 
tremely oppressive during the day, yet at night the 



URAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 179 

covering of a blanket was quite comfortable. It was 
remarked that this portion of the country wasremark- 
ably free from flies, musquitoes, or any of the more 
common plagues of summer in our climate. 

During our respite of a couple of days, as we were 
one evening enjoying the welcome rest, and preparing 
for the toils and fatigue of the succeeding day, we were 
suddenly alarmed by the cry of one of the sentinels, of 
" Secure your horses," — every man sprung to his feet 
and seized his bridle. An immense herd of buffalo 
were rushing across the prairie in the direction of our 
camp, and knowing the course which these animals 
pursue, we were at first alarmed for the safety of our 
encampment. Our horses were picketed upon the 
prairie around, and would probably be again dispersed, 
had it not been for the exertions of the mounted sen- 
tinels, who with great difficulty changed the direction 
of the herd, and thereby saved us from the effects of 
another stampedo. This is an evil to be guarded against 
with the greatest care upon the prairies ; instances not 
being unfrequent when caravans have been run down 
and trampled upon by the immense herds which roam 
wild upon these extensive plains. 

The assembly-call next morning summoned us 
again to commence the journey of another day; the 
short respite that we had enjoyed, had served to give 
our horses as well as ourselves much additional 
strength, and at about ten o'clock we again continued 
our route across the prairies. We this day passed seve- 
ral large herds of buffalo, among which the Indians of 
our party dashed and killed a large number. One 
Kiowa Indian with three arrows brought to the ground 
three of these prodigious animals, making each shot 
tell effectually. 



180 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

The next day (August 5th) we remained in camp, 
and again were the greater part of us engaged in pre- 
paring buffalo meat. It was during our stay at this 
place that the mournful intelligence of the death of 
General Leavenworth was announced to our regi- 
ment ; he was attacked with a bilious fever, and ex- 
pired at Camp Smith, where he had remained with a 
small detachment, not far from the Cross timbers. 
This piece of intelligence cast a gloom over the regi- 
ment. I believe that I have before remarked to you, 
that he was a man universally beloved by those under 
his command, as well for his unassuming mariners, as 
for the natural mildness and clemency of his disposi- 
tion. Captain Deane, of the third infantry, who brought 
the news, also gave intimation of the death of Lieute- 
nant McClure, of company " B," who died on the 20th 
July, (the day previous to the death of General Lea- 
venworth,) at a sick camp on the bank of the Washita^ 
where upwards of an hundred and fifty of our men 
had been left sick. Lieutenant McClure was a much 
esteemed officer, of a mild and amiable disposition and 
gentlemanly deportment, but of too weak and slender 
a frame to bear up against the toils, fatigues, and priva- 
tions of a campaign over the scorching and boundless 
prairies, and through the deep forests of this western 
world. 

On the 7th of Aus^ust we passed through the last of 
the Cross timbers, and next day struck upon the road 
directing to Fort Gibson. If the eye of the soldier 
had before been sunken and dilated with fatigue and 
anxiety, it now brightened at the prospect of an ap- 
proaching season of rest, and dwelt famiharly upon 
scenes around, that told of the drawing to a close of 
his trials and privations ; hardship had wrought many 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 181 

a wrinkle, and hunger and fatigue had reduced almost 
to a skeleton many a frame : but now, like the first 
glad glimpse of land to the sea-tossed mariner, the 
destined goal seemed at hand. From the 7th to the 
I4th nothing of interest transpired, and on the after- 
noon of that day we pitched our encampment upon 
the same spot from which the command had set out 
two months before, and brought to a welcome termi- 
nation this toilsome and dangerous march. 

Our route, which had oftentimes been over briars and 
through bushes and thorns, had proved terribly fatal to 
clothing, and the greater part of the command were, 
at this time, literally half naked. 

Fourteen miles travel next day brought us to the 
bank of the Neosho, opposite to Fort Gibson, and here 
we pitched our encampment. The weary dragoons 
shook hands with the soldiers at the fort, and the sa- 
vage Indian from the Pawnee Peeks grasped the hand 
of his half civilized brother from the Arkansas. 

Im.mediately upon our arrival runners were sent to 
all the different tribes of this region of country to at- 
tend a grand council at the fort, and in a few days a 
larofe number of deleorates from the Choctaws, Chero- 
kees, Creeks, Osages, Del a wares, and other tribes, 
were assembled. 

But there was one meeting far more sweet than the 
soldier with his friend, or the red man with his brother 
— 'twas the meetinsf of a mother and her son. O who 
can paint the rapture of the hour, when to the arms 
of a fond mother flew the long-lost child of her affec- 
tions ; that child v/hich had been snatched from the 
arms of a father by the rude grasp of the savages ; the 
fc\ther murdered, and the almost infant boy borne to 
their wild abodes. 

16 



182 DRAGOON CABfPAI&NSo 

If, in the hour of her first wild transport of despair^ 
that mother had sunk under the burden of her grief, 
when the double loss of husband and of child burst 
upon her at once, how amply was the pang of her an- 
guish allayed by the restoration of her boy, at a mo^ 
ment when she was perchance wiping the tear-drop 
from her eye, as the thought of his early fate intruded 
upon her hour of reflection. None but a mother can 
appreciate the agony of her sorrow or guess at the trans- 
port of her joy ; her darling boy, whom she had 
mourned over as murdered by the savage Indians, thus 
suddenly restored to her arms unharmed, as at the day 
of his departure. But, alas ! why dwell upon the 
thought ; the tear-drop even now falls from mine own 
eye, as I pen these reflections. 

The facts in the case are simply these. Judge Mar- 
tin, a wealthy planter of Louisiana, had accompanied 
some friends early this spring upon a hunting expedi- 
tion up the False Washita, and whilst, together with 
his little son, he had become separated from the party, 
he was surprised by the Indians, and cruelly murdered ; 
his little boy taken prisoner, and carried with them to 
their savage haunts. The circumstances of his re-cap- 
ture you have already learned in a previous letter. 

I must here close, and subscribe myself, as ever^ 

Your friend^ &c» 



i}RAGO0H CAHPAIGNB. 18S 



LETTER XIX, 



[The following interesting letter from Mr. Catlin^ 
written to a friend in New-York after his return to 
Fort Gibson, may not be out of place in this connec- 
tion, — therefore I have taken the liberty to insert it.] 

Fort Gibson, Sept, 8, 1834. 
My dear Sir, 

Trusting that a few lines from the western frontier 
will at all times be acceptable to you ; and supposing, 
too, that at this time they would be particularly so, I 
have ventured to drop you a few words more on the 
subject of the Pawnees, <fec. 

Since I wrote my last letter, wherein I gave a very 
brief account of our campaign, and successful acquain- 
tance with tlie] Camanches, Pawnees, Kiowas, &«. 
we have had a bustling time with the Indians at this 
place. Colonel Dodge sent runners to the chiefs of 
all the contiguous tribes of Indians, with an invitation 
to meet the Pawnees, &.c. in council at this place. 
Seven or eight tribes flocked to us in great numbers 
on the first day of the month, when the council com- 
menced; it continued for several days, and gave these 
semi-eivilized sons of the forest a fair opportunity of 
shaking the hands of their wild and untamed brethren 
of the west — of embracing them in their arms with 
expressions of friendship, and of smoking the calu- 
met together, as the solemn pledge of lasting peace. 

Colonel Dodge, Major Armstrong, (the Indian agent,) 
mid General Stokes, (the Indian Commissioner,) pre- 



184 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

sided at the council, and I cannot name a scene more 
interesting and entertaining than it was ; where, for 
several days in succession, free vent was given to the 
feelings of men civilized, half-civil^ and wild — where 
the three stages of man were fearlessly asserting their 
rights, their happiness, and friendship for each other. 
The vain orations of the half polished (and half breed) 
Cherokees and Choctaws, with all their finery and art, 
found their match in the brief and jarring gutturals of 
the wild and naked man. 

After the council had adjourned, and the fumes of 
the peace-making calumet had vanished away, and 
Colonel Dodge had made them additional presents, 
they soon made preparation for their departure, and on 
the next day started, with an escort of dragoons, 
for their own country. This movement is much to 
be regretted ; for it would have been exceedingly 
gratifying to the people of the east to have seen so 
"lYlld a group, arxd it Vvould have been of great ser- 
vice to them to have visited Washington, — a journey 
though, which they could not be prevailed upon to 
make. 

We brought with us to this place, three of the prin- 
cipal chiefs of the Pawnees, fifteen Kiowas, one Ca- 
manche, and one Wico chief The group was un- 
doubtedly one of the most interesting that ever visited 
our frontier ; and I have taken the utmost pain^ in 
painting the portraits of all of them, as well as seven 
of the Camanche chiefs, who came part of the way 
with us and turned back. These portraits, together 
with other paintings which I have made, descriptive 
of their manners and customs — views of their villages 
— landscapes of the country, &c. will soon be laid 



DRA600N CAMPAIGNS. 183 

before the amateurs of the east, and, I trust, will be 
found to be interesting. 

Although the achievement has been a handsome 
one, of bringing those unknown people to an acquaint- 
ance and a general peace, and at first sight would 
appear to be of great benefit to them, yet I have my 
strong doubts whether it will better their condition, 
unless, with the exercised aid of the strong arm of 
government, they can be protected in the rights which 
by nature they are entitled to. 

There is already in this place a company of eighty 
men fitted out, who are to start to-morrow, to overtake 
these Indians a few miles from this place, and accom- 
pany them home, with a large stock of goods, with 
traps for catching beaver, (fee, calculating to build a 
trading house amongst them, where they will amass^ 
at once, an immense fortune, being the first traders 
and trappers that have ever been in that part of the 
country. 

I have traveled too much among Indian tribes, and 
seen too much, not to know the evil consequences of 
such a system. Goods are sold at such exorbitant 
prices, that the Indian gets a mere shadow for his pel- 
tries, (fee. The trappers, and other men in the employ- 
ment of these traders, are generally the lowest and 
most debased class of society, who corrupt the morals 
of the savage without setting them one good example. 
The Indians see no white people but these, and of 
course judge us all by them : they consequently hold 
us, and always will, in contempt, as inferior to them- 
selves, as they have reason to do, and they neither fear 
nor respect us. When, on the contrary, if the govern- 
ment would promptly prohibit such establishments, and 
invite these Indians to our frontier posts, they would 

16* 



186 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

brins^ in their furs, their robes, horses, mules, <fec. to 
this place, where there is a good market for them all — 
where they would get the full value of their property 
— where there are several stores of goods— where there 
is an honorable competition, and where they would 
get four or five times as much for their articles of trade 
as they would get from a trader in the village, out of 
the reach of competition, and out of sight of the civi- 
lized world. 

At the same time, as they would be continually 
coming where they would see good and polished so- 
ciety, they would be gradually adopting our modes of 
living — introducing to their country our vegetables^ 
our domestic animals, poultry, (fcc. and at length our 
arts and manufactures ; they would see and estimate 
our military strength and advantages, and would be 
led to fear and respect us. In short, it would undoubt- 
edly be the quickest and surest way to a general ac- 
quaintance — to friendship and peace, and at last to ci- 
vilization. If there is a law in existence for such pro- 
tection of the Indian tribes, which may have been 
waived in the case of those nations with which we 
have long traded, it is a great pity that it should not 
be rigidly enforced in this new and important acquaint- 
ance which we have just made with fifteen or twenty 
thousand strangers to the civilized world ; yet (as we 
have learned from their unaffected hospitality when in 
their villages) with hearts of human mould, suscepti- 
ble of all the noble feelings peculiar to civilized man. 

This acquaintance has cost the United States a vast 
sum of money, as well as the lives of several valuable 
and esteemed officers, and at least some fifty or sixty 
of the dragoons ; and for the honor of the American 
name, 1 think we ought, in forming an acquaintance 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 187 

with these numerous tribes, to adopt and enforce some 
different system from that which has been generally- 
practiced on and beyond our frontiers heretofore. 

What the regiment of dragoons has suffered from 
sickness since they started on their summer's cam- 
paign, is unexampled in this country, and almost in- 
credible. When we started from this place, ten or fif- 
teen were sent back the first day, too sick to proceed ; 
and so afterwards our numbers were daily diminished • 
and at the distance of two hundred miles from this 
place we could muster, out of the whole regiment, but 
two hundred and fifty men who were able to proceed 
with which little band, and that again reduced some 
sixty or sev^enty by sickness, we pushed on and accom- 
plished all that was done. Since our return, the sick 
have been brought in by dozens and scores from the 
points where they had been left, and although the dra- 
goons who were well enough to leave have all marched 
off from this post, (some to Leavenworth, three com- 
panies twenty miles distant from this, and three com- 
panies to the Des Moines on the Mississippi, to their 
wintering quarters,) they have left at this place one 
hundred and forty or fifty sick, who are burying two 
to three and four per day of their numbers. A great 
many have died, and many more poor fellows must 
inevitably sink into their graves. The disease seems 
to be entirely of a bilious nature, and contracted by 
exposure to the sun, and the impurity of the water 
which, in many parts of our route, we were obliged to 
use. The beautiful and pictured scenes which we 
passed over had an alluring charm on their surface, 
but (as it would seem) a lurking poison within, that 
spread a gloom about our encampment whenever we 
pitched it. 



J88 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

We sometimes rode from day to day, without a tree 
to shade us from the burning rays of a tropical sun, or 
a breath of wind to regale us, or cheer our hearts— and 
with mouths continually parched with thirst, we dip- 
ped our drink from stagnant pools that were heated 
by the sun and kept in fermentation by the wallowing 
herds of buffalo that resort to them. In this way we 
dragged on, sometimes passing picturesque and broken 
country, with fine springs and streams, affording us 
the luxury of a refreshing shade and a cool draught 
of water, 

Tbe sickness and distress continually about us, 
spread a gloom over the camp, and marred every 
pleasure which we might otherwise have enjoyed ; for 
the country abounds, most of the way, with buffalo, 
deer, turkies, bear, dec. Bands, too, of the snorting 
wild horses were almost hourly prancing before us, 
and I found them to be the wildest and fleetest inhab- 
itant of the prairie of the west. The Pawnees and 
Caman'ches take vast numbers of them, but the finest 
and fleetest of them they cannot catch. I approached 
several times very near to these herds without being 
discovered, and with a good spy-glass examined them 
with great pleasure ; some of them were very hand- 
some, their manes falling almost to the ground ; but 
when we visited the Camanche villasfe, 1 looked 
through their almost incredible herds of horses that 
were grazing about them (perhaps three thousand, or 
near it) for the " splendid^ '• Arabian,^^ &c. horse, of 
which I have heard so much at the east, as belonging 
to that country, but I could see or hear nothing of it ; 
and I am strongly inclined to think that it is, in a 
measure, a horse of imagination. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 189 

The horses of the Camanches are principally the 
wild horse, and a great many from the Spanish coun- 
try. They are all small, and most of them miserable 
and mean. Several of the best of them were purchas- 
ed by our officers, and having brought them in, can 
sell them for sixty or seventy-five dollars only. 
In haste, — for the present, adieu. 

Your friend and servant, 

George Catlin. 



LETTER XX. 



Remarks upon Prairies — and settlement of the West. 

In my notes thus far, upon our journey over these 
wild regions of the west, you may have perceived that 
my attention has been directed more to the movements 
of the regiment than to the description of country 
over which we have passed. The eye of the botanist 
might have dwelt delightedly on the rich variety of 
plants and flowers, and shrubs and trees, which stud 
this fertile region ; and his pen would perchance have 
classified and delineated their genera and properties ; 
and so miofht the i^eolooist have marked the soil and 
strata of the earth, and told us of its peculiar forma- 
tion and ingredient. But I know nothing of these 
things ; I can only tell you, that here a stream mean- 
ders, or that there a deep dark forest gathers its appa- 
rently interminable shade ; that on one side, the lovely 
prairie rears upon its bosom its myriads of fragrant 



190 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

flowers, or upon the other, that the towering mountain 
seems to pierce the blue ethereal. 

Thus you perceive, that, in answer to your scientific 
inquiries, I can only speak in general terms, that is 
farther than I have already intimated in previous let- 
ters. In relation to soil, 1 can only say, that for the 
most part, throughout that whole extent of country be- 
tween the Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains, 
it is extremely rich and productive, especially upon 
the prairies and bottom lands : there are, however, 
many places which are so barren and unprofitable, that 
for miles in extent nothing but dwarf-oaks can be dis- 
cerned; but, generally speaking, this is a luxuriant 
and fruitful region, and destined, at a day not far dis- 
tant, to repay the labor of the husbandman with a 
golden harvest. 

Upon the prairies, the productions that cover difi^er- 
ent portions are peculiarly distinct ; sometimes the tall 
grass, unmingled with a varied blade, will cover them 
for miles and miles, like a rich green carpet over a 
level floor ; then again, where the immense herds of 
cattle are found, the pasturage is cropped close to the 
earth. On others, thehazle bushes and briars are in- 
tertwined, whilst again the broad yellow blossoms of 
the prickle-pear reflects from the sun's rays the ap- 
pearance of a molten sea of gold, and affords a lovely 
and brilliant contrast to thedensemass of ofreen around. 
But the loveliest of all the prairies are those which 
are varied by gentle undulations, and covered with the 
blended hues of tender and fragrant flowers, out-vieing 
in magnificence the richest and rarest exotics, and 
sending forth upon the breeze an odor that well might 
shame the perfumed harem of an eastern despot. Here 
the gentle hare-bell and the simple violet mingle their 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 191 

varied hites with the doep carnation of the gandy piony. 
Here the daizy and the butter-cup appear in sweet 
simpUcity, under the over-hanging tendrils of the fra- 
grant sweet-brier. The virgin-Ully here stands the 
unsullied emblem of virtue and purity, whilst the 
gently blushing rose, as if conscious of its royalty, 
proudly rears its fragrant bud as in guardianship 
over its fragile court. 

Sometimes the nettle will usurp the prairie for many 
a mile, under the thorny leaves of which the straw- 
berry grows luxuriantly, a living commentary upon 
the botanical acquirements of the bard of Avon, who 
says : 

'' Tlie strawberry grows underneath the nettle, 
And wholefo ne berries thrive and ripen best 
Neighbored by fruit of baser quality.'' 

A grateful contrast is sometimes afforded to the lev- 
el monotony of the prairie, by the intervention of the 
canebrake along the margin of the transparent rivers 
which glide through this region of our land, which 
wears its garb of green throughout the whole year, 
and remains verdant and beautiful when all else seems 
dead, save the aspiring missletvoe which shoots in lux- 
uriant bunches from the top branches of the tallest 
oaks, and seeming to delight most to flourish when all 
aroLUid it is wrapt in the mantle of winter. 

But feeble indeed would be my effort to pourtray 
the lovely appearance of these boundless fields of ver- 
dure, and well might I shrink from the task, when our 
own Irving and Cooper have culled their fragrant 
flowers to adorn their magic pages ; when our own 
Bryant has woven their glories into the delightful 
harmony of poetic verse ; and other pens have told of 
the days when the prancing steeds of the mail-clad 



192 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

warriors of De Soto gaily pranced over the prairies. 
To one who has never wandered farther toward 
the west than that portion of our country forming the 
^middle district, provided that he possesses a disposi- 
tion savoring of romance, and a desire to view the 
ever-varying scenes of nature ; nothing could per- 
haps contribute so greatly to his gratification, and at 
the same time furnish him with so much useful instruc- 
tion, as a journey through the vast valley of the Mis- 
sissippi, and thence westward over the prairies. Con- 
sidering the rapidity not only with which towns and 
cities have sprung into existence within a few years 
past, but the formation of new states and territories, 
adding new links to our already vast chain of domin- 
ion ; we have but to stretch forward the eye through 
the vista of a dawning day, when the whole of the 
hunting ground of the red man shall give way to the 
furrow of the plough. 

Where but a few years ago vast and impenetrable 
forests extended over that immense region only known 
by the broad appellation of "//ze xoestj'' now is centered 
the very heart and glory of our country ; and taking 
as our data the result of past experience, may we not 
be allov/ed to look forward with an equal degree of 
certainty through the next twenty years, and view that 
whole territory extending between the Mississippi river 
and the Rocky Mountains, dotted with cabins and corn- 
fields ; not accessible only through the medium of a 
trail or foot-path, but divided into districts, and inter- 
sected with roads, and affording conveyances for the 
transportation of our mails, with safety and rapidity, 
from the whole line of our Atlantic sliore to the no 
longer "unexplored regions of the west." 

I cannot help here recurring to a passage in the 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 193 

" Heart of Mid-Lothian," in Avhich Sir Walter, in re- 
marking upon the improvements of the age, thus 
speaks :" 

" The times have changed in nothing more (we fol- 
low, as we were wont, the manuscript of Peter Patti- 
son) than in the rapid conveyance of intelligence and 
communication betwixt one part of Scot] and and ano- 
ther. It is not above twenty or thirty years, according 
to the evidence of many credible witnesses now alive, 
since a little miserable horse-cart, performing with dif- 
ficulty a journey of thirty miles joer diem^ carried our 
mails from the capital of Scotland to its extremity. 
Nor was Scotland much more deficient in their ac- 
commodations than our richer sister had been about 
eighty years before." But, need we go across the 
water to learn that locomotion, during the last thirty 
years, hath overleaped every other improvement, and 
that the rate that of yore was traveled per diem^ now 
may be accomplished within the hour 7 Shades of the 
Knickerbockers, what a change hath taken place ! 
Had Rip Van Winkle but taken a deeper potation, and 
continued his nap till now, the old gentleman would 
surely have died of grief and disappointment. To 
have opened his eyes upon this age of rail-roads^ and 
twelve-mile trotters ; of steam engines, and percussion 
locks ; of lacifers, and loco focos ; of serial voyages, 
and safety-valve diving bells ; and in short, in this age 
of improvement and rapidity, would of a truth, been 
too much for the nerves of even the mild, easy-going, 
indifferent, honest Rip. 

But, notwithstanding the mighty change that hath 
come o'er this land, the Rocky Mountains are not much 
nearer to their cousins along the Hudson than they 
were in the days of honest Rip Van Winkle. There 

17 



194 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

liath been a boundary to these doings, and as yet no 
rail-road intersects the western prairie beyond the Ar- 
kansas and the Mississippi. No post-coaches rattle 
along the Macadamized turnpike over the Pawnee 
Peaks. There the elk and the bison still range, and 
the Indian hunter still dwells amid the wild region 
that encompasses them. But every year hath made en- 
croachments upon this vaunted .region ; emigration 
hath " poured like a torrent down upon a vale," fron^ 
eveiy quarter of the globe, upon the skirts of this wild 
dominion ; and should prosperity and peace follow up 
the unabated progress of our country's advancement, 
but a few years more will not only find the well 
guarded trading party, or the troop of mounted and 
armed soldiers traversing these regions, but the sound 
of the hammer of the artizan shall ring across the 
prairie, and the woodman's axe shall resound through 
the forest. 

Indulge me, if not with me, for a moment, whilst I 
look through the horoscope, and tell what is now hid, 
den behind the curtain of futurity. See that wild and 
lovely prairie, waving as the air breathes upon its deep 
green mantle, spangled with its ten thousand times ten 
thousand flowers, of the brightest hue, and yielding a 
delicious fragrance ; like a boundless ocean, no path- 
way divides it. Look again, see those towering piles 
of castellated rocks, beetling above the cloud-capped 
summit of the mountain ; that roaring torrent dash- 
ing from crag to crag, from precipice to precipice. 
Look through that opening vista, and see, like Ossa 
upon Pelion, mountain rearing its crest above moun- 
tain. Stretch forward your eye, and look along that 
deep green vale, studded with groves, and watered 
with crystal streams. CHmb to yonder pinnacle, and 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 195 

gaze upon the world beneath it — no human habitation, 
no vestige of improvement greets your view ; nature 
still reigns triumphant over the broad expanse. Let 
me draw aside the curtain — Mtj years hath flown 
•away, many a head hath been laid low in the dust, 
and many a new actor hath made his debut upon the 
stage of life — what seest thou ? " On yonder pinnacle 
of the mountain, from whence I gazed upon the track- 
less prairie, stands a proud dwelling, with its towers 
and porticoes — its hails are filled with groups of visit- 
ors ; I see a stairway leading up the mountain, carv- 
ed in the solid rock, and as it winds amid the clus- 
ters of trees, I can see many groups resting, as they 
dscend the summit. See yonder steam-car darting 
across the prairie, having in its train an hundred pas- 
sengers. Yonder canal connects the Columbia with 
the Mississippi, and those boats are carrying bales, and 
boxes of merchandise to the various towns along: its 
line. There, amid the crumbled fragments at the 
mountain's base, are a group of students gathering spe- 
cimens for their cabinet — and see that happy and 
merry group of boarding-school girls frolicking over 
the prairie. What a change ! The splendid steamer 
now disturbs the waters of the Mackenzie and the Co- 
lumbia ; civilization hath strode across the land : yon- 
der shriv^eled Indian is the last of his race ; his people 
are no more — his hunting ground hath yielded to the 
plough — his wigwam is destroyed — and he stands so- 
litary and alone, the last relic of a mighty race. 

Is all this visionary ? No, he who watches the signs 
of the times, and reflects for a moment over the events 
of years gone by ; then bends forward his eye to look 
through the intervening space of a few years more^ 



196 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

must readily imagine that such must, and inevitably 
will be the result. 

But to take a more minute and scientific view of 
these mountains, I will direct your attention to a few 
remarks which are not so much the result of ac- 
tual observation on my part, as what I have been ena- 
bled to derive from statistics which I have collected 
from the compilations of others. " The Rocky Moun- 
tains form the most interesting and prominent feature 
in the physical geography of North America. Though 
much nearer the western than the eastern shore of 
that great continent, they appear to form, in relation 
to the distribution both of plants and animals, a strong- 
ly-marked line of demarkation, which presents a bar- 
rier to the progress of migration of many species. 

" No doubt, the direction of this vast chain being 
from south to north, it lies in the line of, rather than at 
right angles to, the usual course of navigation, and 
therefore offers a less formidable barricade than if it were 
stretched across the continent. As it is, however, the 
natural productions which occur on the plains, on the 
diiferent sides of this lengthened range, exhibit a con- 
siderable dissimilarity. Nature has, under the regu- 
lation of the laws of Providence, no doubt made many 
exceptions in favor of this rule, in favor of species 
which occur on both sides of the chain ; but the dis- 
tribution both of plants and animals, if not regula- 
ted, is at least modified by the intervention of these 
mountains." 

The careful geographical observer can doubtless 
trace this chain of mountains throughout the entire 
length of our continent, beginning with the most east- 
ern ridge, and journeying from the Green Mountains 
to the towering pyramids which skirt the borders of 



DRAGOON CAMPA1G!*S. 19t 

!;he Hudson, thence over the toilsome Alleghanies, and 
so on in a continuous range to the farthest western 
•accUv^ity on the boundary of the Arctic Sea, forming 
a mighty ligature which binds in social compact the 
extended borders of our republic. This peculiar ridge, 
however, which stretches from Mexico to the Macken- 
zie River, in a line parallel with the Pacific Ocean, is 
as yet but imperfectly explored. Although the soldier 
and the trader have ventured to traverse the broad 
regions which lie between them and the Mississippi, 
and although the emigrant and the squatter have 
climbed their sum.mit, or reared an humble cabin at 
'their base, yet still the summer's verdure and the win- 
sTer's snow have both alternately to clothe the prairie a 
few years more before they shall be despoiled of their 
far western locality. Their highest summit is some- 
thing more than 15,000 feet above the level of the sea. 
The following extract which I shall take from the 
work published by Mr. Tytler, contains observations 
which neither my own situation or acquirements 
would have enabled me to make ; you must therefore 
excuse me for the length to which I may extend it. 
This being a leisure day with me, I can devote a por- 
tion of it to your service ; I am not, however, as you 
may perceive, egotist enough to exclude the remarks 
of others upon this subject to give place to my own ; 
and therefore, as it may throw some light upon the 
history of this region of country, I the more cheerfully 
send you the statistical observations of the above named 
gentleman. Speaking of the Rocky Mountains, he 
says : " Though much inferior in height to the Andes 
of the southern continent, of which, however, in a gen- 
eral sense, they may be regarded as the northern con- 

17* 



198 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS* 

tinuation, they greatly exceed in elevation the othef 
mountain-chains of North America. This, indeed, 
becomes apparent from a consideration of the courses 
of the great rivers of the country, all of which, wiih 
the exception of the lake-born St. Lawrence, derive 
their sources and primary streams from the Rocky 
Mountains, however different may be the direction in 
which their waters flow. The Columbia, for exam- 
ple, which falls into the Northern Pacific Ocean in 
the 46th parallel, derives its primary streams from the 
western slopes of the same rocky chain, the eastern sides 
of which give rise to the waters of the Missouri, which, 
following a south-easterly and southern direction, 
terminate their long-continued course of 4500 miles in 
the Gulf of Mexico. The Saskatchawan, in both its 
great branches, likewise flows from the eastern slopes 
of the Rocky Mountains, and, uniting its streams a 
short way below Carlton House, it flows through Lake 
Winipeg, and then, assuming the name of Nelson Ri- 
ver, it empties itself, in the vicinity of Cape Tatnam, 
into Hudson's Bay. In like manner, the Mackenzie, 
which, in respect of size, may be regarded as the third 
river in North America (being inferior to the Missouri 
and St. Lawrence alone,) derives its two main branch- 
es, the Elk and Peace Rivers, from these mountains ; 
and ere long, flowing northwards and in a north- 
v/esterly direction, it opens its numerous mouths into 
the Polar Sea, after a course of nearly 2000 miles. It 
may be mentioned as a singular fact, that the Peace 
River actually rises on the western side of the Rocky 
Mountain ridge, within 300 yards of the source of the 
Tacootchesse, or Fraser's River, which flows into the 
Strait of Georgia, on the western shore. 

" At a considerable distance below its issue from 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 19^ 

Great Slave Lake, and where the Mackenzie makes 
its first near approach to the Rocky Mountains, it is 
joined by a large stream which rims a little to the 
northward of the Peace River, and flows along the 
eastern base of the mountains. It was called the Ri- 
ver of the Mountains by Sir Alexander Mackenzie ; 
but it has since, on accountof its great magnitude, be- 
come more generally recognised by the traders under 
the name of the South Branch of the Mackenzie. The 
Mackenzie also receives several other large streams in 
the course of its seaward journey, and among others 
Great Bear Lake River, whose head- waters draw their 
source from the banks of the Coppermine River, and 
Peel's River, which issues from the Rocky Moimtains 
in latitude GT'^. ' Immediately after the junction of 
Peel's River,' Dr. Richardson observes, ' the Mackenzie 
separates into numerous branches, which flow to the 
sea through a great delta composed of alluvial mud. 
Here, from the richness of the soil, and from the river 
bursting its icy chains comparatively very early in the 
season, and irrigating the low delta with the warmer 
waters brought from countries ten or twelve degrees 
farther to the southward, trees flourish, and a more 
luxuriant vegetation exists than in any place in the 
same parallel on the North American continent.' In 
latitude 68^, there are many groves of handsome 
white spruce-firs, and in lititude 69*^, on the desolate 
shores of the Polar Sea, dense and well-grown wil- 
low-thickets cover the flat islands ; while currants and 
gooseberries grow on the drier hummocks, accompa- 
nied by showy epilobiums and perennial lupins. The 
moose-deer, the beaver, and the American hare follow 
this extension of a life-sustaining vegetation, and the 
existence of these herbivorous animals induces a cor- 



200 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

responding increase in the localities of wolves, foxes, 
and other predaceous kinds. 

^< The above mentioned are the principal rivers which 
traverse the fur-countries of America. There are, 
however, a few others of smaller size, the banks of 
which yielded their share of the natural history col- 
lections, and may therefore be briefly noticed. Hayes 
Kiver takes its origin from the neighborhood of Lake 
Winipeg, and, after running a course almost parallel 
to that of Nelson's River, it falls into the same quarter 
of Hudson's Bay. York Factory, so frequently men- 
tioned in the narratives of our northern expeditions, 
stands on the low alluvial point that separates the 
mouths of these two rivers. The Missinnippi, or as it 
is sometimes called, the English River, falls into Hud- 
son's Bay at Churchill. Its upper stream is denomin- 
ated the Beaver River, and takes its rise from a small 
ridge of hills, intermediate between a bend of the Elk 
River and the northern branch of the Saskatchawan. 
Lastly, the Coppermine River derives its origin not far 
from the east end of Great Slave Lake, and pursuing 
a northerly course, already made familiar to our rea- 
ders, it flows through the Barren Grounds into the 
Arctic Sea. It is inferior in size to several branches of 
the Mackenzie ; and as there are few alluvial deposites 
along its banks, it is deficient in that comparative lux- 
uriance of vegetation which, along the banks of the 
Mackenzie, induces several species of herbivorous 
quadrupeds to seek a higher latitude than they else- 
where attain. Did our limits permit, we could dwell 
with pleasure on this example of the interconnection 
or mutual dependence of the links of a lengthened 
chain of facts in natural history. 

" There are various practicable passages across the 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 201 

Rocky Mountains. Sir Alexander Mackenzie crossed 
them in the year 1793, at the head of the Peace River, 
between latitude 55° and 56'^. The same route was 
followed in 1806 by a party of the North-west Compa- 
ny who went to form a settlement at New-Caledonia. It 
is still occasionally used by the servants of the Hudson's 
Bay Company. In the year 1805 Lewis and Clarke 
effected a passage at the head of the Missouri, in lati- 
tude 47^^, on their way to the mouth of the Columbia. 
Dr. Richardson informs us, that for several years sub- 
sequent to that period, the North-West Company were 
in the habit of crossing in latitude 52J^, at the head 
of the north branch of the Saskatchawan, between 
which and one of the feeding streams of the Columbia 
there is a short portage; but of late years, owing to the 
hostility of the Indians, that route has been deserted, 
and the Hudson's Bay Company, who now engross the 
whole of the fur trade of that country, make use of a 
more lengthened portage between the northern branch 
of the Columbia and the Red Deer River, one of the 
branches of the Elk or Mackenzie. We are likewise 
informed that attempts have been recently made to ef- 
fect a passage in the 62d parallel of latitude ; but al- 
though several ridges of the mountains were crossed, 
it does not appear that any stream flowing towards the 
Pacific was attained. 

" The latest journeys across the Rocky Mountains 
with which we happen to be acquainted, are those of 
Messrs. Drummond and Douglas, two skillful and en- 
terprising botanists, both belonging professionally to 
that high class of practical horticulturists for which 
Scotland has been long famous, and of which she is so 
justly proud. 

<• Mr. Drummond acted in the capacity of assistant- 



202 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

naturalist to Sir John Franklin's second overland ex- 
pedition, and it was to his unrivalled skill in collecting, 
and indefatigable zeal, that Dr. Richardson was in- 
debted for a large proportion both of the botanical and 
zoological productions. He continued at Cumberland 
House in 182.5, and occupied himself collecting plants 
during the month of July, after the main-body of the 
expedition had departed northwards. He then ascended 
the Saskatchawan for 660 miles, to Edmonton House, 
performing much of the journey on foot, and amass- 
ing objects of natural history by the way. He left 
Edmonton House on the 22d of September, and cross- 
ing a thickly-wooded swampy country to Red Deer 
River, a branch of the Elk or Athabasca, he traveled 
along its banks until he reached the Rocky Mountains, 
the ground being by this time covered with snow. 
Having explored the portage-road for fifty miles across 
the mountains tow^ards the Columbia River, he hired 
an Indian hunter, with whom he returned to the head 
of the Elk River, on which he passed the winter, mak- 
ing collections, under privations which. Dr. Richardson 
observes, ' would have effectually quenched the zeal 
of a less hardy naturalist.' He revisited the Columbia 
portage-road during the month of April, 1826, and 
continued in that vicinity until the 10th of August, 
after which he made a journey to the head-waters of 
the Peace River, during which he suffered severely 
from famine. But, nothing daunted, our enduring 
countryman, as soon as he had obtained a supply of 
provisions, hastened back to the Columbia portage, 
with the view of crossing to that river, and botanizing 
for a season on its banks. However, when he had 
reached the west end of the portage, he was overtaken 
by letters from Sir John Franklin, informing him that 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 203 

it was necessary to be at York Factory in 1827. He 
was therefore obliged to commence his return, greatly 
to his own regret ; for a transient view of the Columbia 
had stimulated his desire to investigate its natural trea- 
sures. ' The snowj' he observes, ' covered the ground 
too deeply to permit me to add much to my collections 
in this hasty trip over the mountains ; but it was im- 
possible to avoid noticing the great superiority of the 
climate on the western side of that lofty raiige. From 
the instant the descent towards the Pacific commences, 
there is a visible improvement in the sf^owth of timber? 
and the variety of forest-trees greatly increases. The 
few mosses that I gleaned in the excursion were so fine 
that I could not but deeply regret that I was unable to 
pass a season or two in that interesting region.' He 
now reluctantly turned his back upon the mountains, 
and, returning by Edmonton House, where he spent 
some time, he joined Dr. Richardson at Carlton House, 
on his homeward journey. Mr. Drummond's collec- 
tions on the mountains and plains of the Saskatchawan 
amounted to about 1500 species of plants, 150 birds, 
fifty quadrupeds, and a considerable number of insects. 
He remained at Carlton House for six weeks after Dr. 
Richardson had left that place, and, descending to 
Cumberland House, he there met Captain Back, whom 
he accompanied to York Factory. He had previously, 
however, had the pleasure of being joined by a coun- 
tryman and kindred spirit, Mr. David Douglas, the 
other indefatigable collector to whom we have already 
alluded. Mr. Douglas had been engaged in gathering 
plants for three years for the Horticultural Society, in 
North California and on the banks of the Columbia 
River. He had crossed the Rocky Mountains from the 
westward, at the head of the Elk River, by the same 



204 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

portage-road previously traversed by Mr. Drummond, 
and having spent a short time in visiting the Red 
River of Lake Winipeg, he returned to England along 
with Mr. Drummond, by the way of Hudson's Bay^ 
^Thus, a zone of at least two degrees of latitude in 
width, and reaching entirely across the continent, from 
the mouth of the Columbia to that of the Nelson River 
of Hudson's Bay, has been explored by two of the 
ablest and most zealous collectors that England has 
ever sent forth ; while a zone of similar width, extend- 
ing at .right angles with the other from Canada to the 
Polar Sea, has been more cursorily examined by the 
expeditions.' 

"That widel^^extended tract of territory which lies 
to the eastAvard of the Rocky Mountains, and to the 
north of the Missouri and the Great Lakes, is now well 
knowQ to the Hudson's Bay traders, with exception of 
the shores of the Polar Sea, and a corner, bounded to 
the westward by the Coppermine River, Great Slave, 
Athabasca, Wollaston, and Deer Lakes, to the south- 
ward by the Churchill or Missinnippi, and to the north- 
ward and eastward by the sea. When viewed under 
a zoological aspect, we find that this north-eastern cor- 
ner, more particularly known under the name of the 
* Barren Grounds,' carries its purely arctic character 
farther to the south than any of the other meridians. 
This very bare and desolate portion of America is al- 
most entirely destitute of wood, except along the banks 
of its larger rivers. The rocks of this district are pri- 
mitive, and rarely rise to such an elevation as to de- 
serve the name of mountain-ridges, being rather an 
assemblage of low hills with rounded summits, and 
more or less precipitous sides. The soil of the narrow 
valleys which separate these hills is either an imper- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 205 

feet peat-earth, affording nourishment to dwarf birches, 
stunted willows, larches, and black spruce-trees, — or, 
more generally, it is composed of a rocky debris, con- 
sisting of dry, coarse, quartzose sand, unadapted to 
other vegetation than that of lichens. The centres of 
the larger valleys are filled with lakes of limpid water, 
which are stored with fish, even though frequently 
completely land-locked. More generally, however, 
one of these lakes discharges its waters into another, 
through a narrow gorge, by a turbulent and rapid 
stream ; and, indeed, most of the rivers which irrigate 
these barren grounds may almost be viewed as a chain 
of narrow and connected lakes. The rein-deer or 
caribou, and the musk-ox, are the prevailing quadru- 
peds of these unproductive wastes, where the absence 
of fur-bearing species has prevented any settlement by 
the traders. The only human inhabitants are the 
caribou-eaters, — a people composed of a few forlorn 
families of the Chipewyans. 

"From the district above described, a belt of low pri- 
mitive rocks extends to the northern shores of Lake 
Superior. Dr. Richardson calculates its width at about 
200 miles; and he states that, as it becomes more 
southerly, it recedes from the Rocky Mountains, and 
differs from the Barren Grounds in being well wooded. 
It is bounded to the eastward by a narrow strip of 
limestone, beyond which there is a flat, swampy, and 
partly alluvial district, forming the western shores of 
Hudson's Bay. This tract, from the western border of 
the low primitive tract just mentioned to the coast of 
Hudson's Bay, has been named the Eastern District^ 
and presents us with several animals unknown to the 
higher latitudes. 

" The Eastern District is bounded to the westward by 
18 



206 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

a flat limestone deposite ; and a remarkable chain of 
lakes and rivers, such as the Lake of the Woods. Lake 
Winipeg, Beaver Lake, and the central portion of 
Churchill or Missinnippi, all of which lie to the south- 
ward of the Methye Portage^ marks the line of junc- 
tion of the two formations. This district, which Dr. 
Richardson has named the Limcstmie Tracts is well 
wooded, and produces the fur-bearing animals in great 
abundance. The white or polar bear^ the arctic fox. 
the Hudson's Bay lemming, and several other species 
disappear, while their places are filled up by bisons^ 
bats, and squirrels^ unknown to the other regions. 

'* Intermediate between the limestone tract and the 
foot of the Rocky Mountains there occurs a wide ex- 
panse of prairie land. So slight are the inequalities of 
its surface, that the traveler, while crossing it, is obliged 
to regulate his course either by the compass or the ob- 
servation of the heavenly bodies. The soil is toler- 
ably fertile, though, for the greater proportion, dry and 
rather sandy. It supports, however, a thick grassy 
sward, which yields an abundant pasture to innume- 
rable herds of bison and many species of deer ; and the 
grizzly bear, the fiercest and most powerful of all the 
North American land-animals, properly so called, in- 
habits various portions of this wide-spread plain. 
Prairies of a similar aspect, and still greater extent, 
are known to border the Arkansa and Missouri rivers. 
They are said to become gradually narrower to the 
northward, and in the southern portion of the fur- 
countries they extend for about fifteen degrees of lon- 
gitude, from Maneetobaw, or Maneetowoopoo, and 
. Winipegoos Lakes, to the base of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. These magnificent plains are partially inter- 
sected by ridges of low hills, and also by several 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 207 

Streams, of which the banks are wooded ; and towards 
the skirts of the plains many detached masses of finely- 
formed timber, and pieces of still water, are disposed 
in so pleasing and picturesque a manner as to convey 
the idea rather of a cultivated English park than of 
an American wilderness. There is, however, so great 
a deficiency of wood in the central parts of these 
plains, that ^the hunters,' says Dr. Richardson, 'are 
under the necessity of taking fuel with them on their 
journeys, or in dry weather of making their fires of 
the manure of the bison. To the northward of the 
Saskatchawan, the country is more broken, and inter- 
sected by woody hills ; and on the banks of the Peace 
River the plains are of comparatively small extent, and 
are detached from each other by woody tracts : they 
terminate altogether in the angle between the River of 
the Mountains and Great Slave Lake. The abundance 
of pasture renders these plains the favorite resort of 
various ruminating animals.'" 

Having thus indulged myself, and perhaps wearied 
you, by entering into this detailed statement, 1 cannot 
allow myself to dismiss the subject without adverting 
to a thought which has often crossed my mind, in re- 
lation to the inducements held out to emigrants, as 
well as the poorer classes of our own population, to 
settle here upon these fertile regions. Instead of toil- 
ing for a scanty pittance, as the greater portion of our 
laboring people have to do, who are located in large 
towns or cities, and continumg their toilsome labors 
from dawn till evening, throughout year after year, 
without perhaps ever having it in their power to lay 
by a dollar for a future day, they might here become 
the happy, and even affluent settlers of a soil which 
scarce needs the labor of cultivation to yield an abun- 



208 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

dant harvest : however, this portion of our country is 
daily becoming better known, and more justly appre- 
ciated ; every year extends the limits of our settled 
frontier, and succeeding years are destined to increase 
with a rapid ratio the tide of western emigration : the 
buffalo and the Indian, alike the enemies of civilization 
and settlement, are fast receding before the tide of en- 
terprise, and the industrious honey-bees, the forerun- 
ners of white emigration, are humming over the flow- 
ers of the prairie, and depositing their delicious bur- 
den in the hollow caverns of the old oak trees. But 
I will dwell no longer upon the glories of this vaunted 
region, and, as usual, close this epistle, by subscribing 
to it the name of 

Your friend » 



LETTER XXI. 



Remarks upon the Worship, Exercises, Oratory, Poetry, and condition 
of the Indians. 

Fort Gibson, 1834. 
My Dear Sir, 

I will now attempt to fulfill my promise in regard to 
furnishing you with something connected with the In- 
dians. I have become myself much attached to them, 
and I assure you, have taken great pains to become ac- 
quainted with their habits, manners, superstitions, le- 
gends, and, in a small degree, with their language. 
People at the east know but little about what is doing 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 20S 

in this remote region, and consequently can feel but 
little interest for tlie poor Indians. 

An old number of a Scotch paper that I have with 
me, thus defines the Indian race: -"America, which 
is perhaps the finest country of the world, v/hen first 
discovered, was found to be only thinly inhabited by 
a few scattered tribes who dwelt upon the sides of 
their majestic rivers or magnificent lakes, or, like other 
uncivilized people, led a solitary and savage life, amidst 
the intricate paths of its extensive forests. We are all 
aware how its different regions became populated by 
emigration from other countries, but with these settlers 
we shall not interfere, as it is the original natives of 
America alone who here claim our attention and in- 
terest. It is presumed, as we already explained, that 
this continent was peopled by migrations from the 
north-east part of Asia ; a fact borne out by the cir- 
cumstance, that when America was discovered, the na- 
tives were found to be acquainted by tradition with 
the most remarkable events related in Mosaic history : 
in addition to which, the American language appears 
to have been founded on the Asiatic. The natives of 
America possess a large and robust frame, and a well- 
proportioned figure ; their complexion is of a bronze, 
or reddish copper hue, as if it were rust}'- colored, 
not unlike cinnamon or tannin ; their hair is black, 
long, coarse, and shining, but not thickset on the head ; 
their beard is thin, and grows in tufts ; their forehead 
low, and their eyes lengthened out, and their outer 
angles turned upward to the temples ; their eyebrows 
are high, their cheek-bones prominent; their nose is 
a little flattened, but well marked ; their lips extended, 
and their teeth closely set and pointed : in their mouth 
there is an expression of sweetness, which forms a 

18* 



210 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

striking contrast to the gloomy, harsh, and even stern 
character of their countenance : their head is of a 
square shape, and their face is broad without being 
flat, and tapers towards the chin. They have a high 
chest, massy thighs, and arched legs ; their foot is 
large, and their whole body squat and thick set. The 
stature and complexion of the native American differs 
materially in different parts of the continent ; but on 
the whole, they bear in their physical and moral cha- 
racter so strong a resemblance to each other, that there 
can be but little doubt that they derived their origin 
from the same stock." 

As civilization advances, the Indians recede ; and 
from the simple fact that the experiment has never been 
fairly tested, we are apt to imagine that they are in- 
capable of being civilized. Every succeeding year 
diminishes the extent of their dominions, and in a few 
more they will be forced to cross the Rocky Mountains, 
and move their wigwams to the very shores of the 
Pacific. Now, whatever of profit such a change shall 
yield to the man whose whole soul is wrapt up in his 
avarice and gold ; whatever it may add to the power 
and splendor of our country to extend her territory over 
this now wild and romantic region ; still I hold, that, 
to the mind of the philanthropist and the christian, the 
extermination of the Indian race under such circum- 
stances must ever be a sorrowful subject of reflection. 

Uncontaminated by the vices and vicious habits in- 
troduced amongst them by the whites, the Indidn 
character has much in it to be admired, and but little 
to be condemned. They indeed lead a wandering 
unsettled life, but in many respects live more naturally 
than their civilized neighbors. They enjoy life upon 
an extended scale, neither pampering their appetites 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 211 

with dainties, nor trammeling their minds and actions 
with foolish and useless notions of fashion and etiquette. 
There is a something of nobleness about them in al- 
most every thing they do. Educated to the chase, they 
depend upon their skill and exertions for sustenance; 
and even their wild sports relish of the more classic 
games of the Greeks as formerly practiced at their 
Olympic festivals. Although the superstitious cere- 
monies and observances practiced amongst them may 
appear vain and foolish to those unacquainted with 
their import, still there is a wild and glowing vein of 
romance connected with them from which one hardly 
wishes to draw the veil. We all have our beliefs and 
disbeliefs, our likes and dislikes, our ceremonies and 
superstitions, to a greater or less degree ; and, in com- 
parison with the rest of mankind, the superstitions and 
ceremonies of the Indians are neither the most ground- 
less or unnatural. The untaught savage looks abroad 
upon creation, and feasts his eyes upon her beauties, 
her grandeur and magnificence on the one hand, 
and upon her no less to be admired variety and har- 
mony on the other. An innate principle teaches him 
that there is a being who created all these objects. He 
discovers the unseen hand of an over-ruling agency 
operating upon the whole creation. He watches the 
seasons as they roll around in regular and rapid suc- 
cession. He knows not of an immaterial God, there- 
fore he seeks to find in the material world an object 
worthy of his adoration and his love. He gazes upon 
the sun as the most powerful and prominent object in 
creation, and he worships it as his god. The light of 
science has never dawned upon his intellect, and as 
amid the grassy ocean of the prairie he beholds the glo- 
rious and resplendent luminary of day coming forth in 



212 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

solitary brightness, shedding his lustre and influence 
upon every object in creation, and after having per- 
formed his diurnal course, descend on the other 
side of the heavens— as he gazes, he believes, and in 
his belief is happy and contented ; would that I might, 
in regard to them, add with the poet, 

" Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be v.'ise." 

In his native ignorance, the Indian is moved only 
by the impulse of his animal nature, and it must be 
allowed by every candid and observing commentator 
upon their character and habits, that they have not, 
as a people, been the gainers by their intercourse with 
the whites. I do not deny that civilization has in ma- 
ny instances done much to soften down and meliorate 
the condition of the Indian ; but these good effects 
are more than counterbalanced by the misery and 
wretchedness that have been entailed upon them by 
the introduction of all the worst habits and vices of the 
whites, who, wherever they have settled among them, 
have taught them, in most instances, scarcely a single 
counteracting virtue. " Who can believe," (asked a 
writer on the Indian character some time ago,) " that 
the introduction of ardent spirits amongst them has 
added no new item to the catalogue of their crimes, nor 
subtracted one from the list of their cardinal virtues ?" 

Few, comparatively, have the opportunity, fewer 
the inclination, to visit and observe the Indians in 
their remote haunts, or even, perhaps, upon our imme- 
diate frontiers. All who have done so must be convinc- 
ed that wherever, and for whatever purpose, the In- 
dian and the white man come in contact, the former, 
in all that relates to his moral condition, is sure to be- 
come irretrievably and severely a sufferer. Every un- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 213 

biassed inquirer, who will avail himself of the abun- 
dant evidence before the public, will be convinced that 
for more than two hundred years, in despite of all the 
benevolent exertions of individuals, of humane asso- 
ciations, and of governments, the direct tendency of 
intercourse between the two races has been the uni- 
form and rapid deterioration of the Indians. 

However far these remarks may tend to show what 
has been the effect of such an intercourse, still I am far, 
very far from being of opinion that the Indians are not 
susceptible of being so far benefited by civilization as 
to adopt not only the habits of life of the whites, but 
even to be made to understand and become partakers 
of the great truths and promises of revelation. But 
the truth is, that the character and business of that 
class of men who, for the most part, have dwelt and 
traded amongst the Indians, was not calculated to 
leave a proper influence upon their minds. Generally, 
the men who have carried on the trading intercourse 
with them were those who, impelled only by the hope 
of gain, ventured to penetrate the deep recesses of un- 
explored forests, to traverse the parched and boundless 
prairie, to ford the mighty rivers of the west, indiffer- 
ent to every privation and hardship ; and who cared 
nothing for the ignorant beings with whom they 
traded, farther than to obtain their peltries upon the 
terms most advantageous to themselves, leaving behind 
them a few trinkets and more than enough liquor to 
poison their habits, thus enriching themselves but mo- 
rally destroying the Indians. Instead of carrying 
with them those things that might serve to add com- 
fort in some degree to their condition, the traders 
usually go laden with only such gaudy and glittering 
toys as are calculated to catch the attention of the ig- 



214 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

norant people with whom they trade ; and to avoid the 
prohibition of government in regard to the vending of 
liquor, they artfully deal it out to the Indians gratui- 
tously, for the purpose of trafficking with them the more 
advantageously while under its pernicious influence. 

Nothing can exceed the extent of torture that the 
Indian will inflict upon himself to satisfy either his 
vanity or some superstitious belief. Many instances 
of this may be found in the records of their history, 
one of which I will mention : " A devotee caused two 
stout arrows to be passed through the muscles of his 
breast, one on each side near the mammas. To these 
arrows, cords were attached, the opposite ends of 
which were affixed to the upper part of a post, which 
had been firmly implanted in the earth for that purpose* 
He then threw himself backward into an oblique po- 
sition within about two feet of the soil, so as to depend 
with the greater portion of his weight by the cords» 
In this situation, the most excruciating that can be 
imagined, he continued to chant and to keep time with 
the music of the gong, until, from long abstinence and 
suffering, he fainted. The by-standers then cried out, 
* Courage, courage !' with much shouting and noise ; 
after a short interval of insensibility he revived, and 
proceeded with his self-inflicted tortures as before, 
until nature becoming too exhausted, he again relaps- 
ed into insensibility, upon which he was loosened from 
the cords and carried off amid the acclamations of the 
whole assembly." 

There are also many instances of the most unfeeling 
cruelty practiced by the white settlers toward the In- 
dians, one of which I listened to with deep attention, 
as related by an old Indian, who appeared to be almost 
sunk under the weight of years. The story impress- 



drAgoon^ampaigns. ^ 215 

ed my mind so deeply that I determined to transcribe 
it for your consideration, but subsequently, in looking 
over the library at the fort, I chanced to open upon the 
very same anecdote,* for which I would refer you 
to the second volume of Major Long's expedition. 

* "In 1814 a trader married a beautiful squaw of one of the 
most distinguished families of the Omawhaw nation. Thia 
match, on the part of the husband, was induced by the following 
circumstances. Being an active, intelligent, and enterprising 
man, he had introduced the American trade to the Missouri 
Indians, and had gained great influence amongst them by hig 
bravery and ingenuous deportment ; but he at length perceived 
that his influence was gradually declining, in consequence of 
the presence and wiles of many other traders to whom his en- 
terprise had opened the way, and that his customers were gra- 
dually forsaking him. 

Thus circumstanced) in order to regain the ground that he 
had lost, he determined to seek a matrimonial alliance with one 
of the most powerful families of the Omawhaws. In pursuance 
of this resolution he selected a squaw whose family and friends 
were such as he desired. He addressed himself to her frienda 
according to the Indian custom., and inforaied them that he loved 
their daughter, and that he was sorry to see her in the state of 
poverty common to their nation, and although he possessed a 
wife among the white people, yet he wished also to have one of 
the Omawhaw nation. If they would transfer their daughter 
to him in marriage, he would obligate himself to treat her kind- 
ly ; and as he had commenced a permanent trading establish- 
ment in their country, he v/ould dwell during a portion of the 
year with her, and the remainder with the white people, as the 
nature of his occupation required. His establishment should be 
her home and that of her people during his life, as he never in- 
tended to abandon the trade. In return he expressed his expec- 
tation that the nation would give him the refusal of their peltries, 
in order that he might be enabled to comply with his engage- 
ments with them. He further promised that his children should 
be made known to the white people, and probably be qualified 
to continue the trade after his death. 



216 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

The Indian seems to act throughout upon the text, 
that " sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." K he 
has been successful in the chase, he returns to his wig- 

The parents replied with thanks for his Uberal offer, and for 
his disposition to have pity on them, they would not object to 
the connection, and hoped that their daughter would accept of 
him as a husband. The parents then retired and opened the 
subject to their daughter ; they assured her that the proposed 
husband was a great man, greater than any of the Omawhaws, 
that he would do much for her and for them, and concluded by 
requesting her acquiescence in the wishes of the white man. 
She replied that all they said was without doubt true, and she was 
willing to become his wife. 

The agreement being thus concluded, the trader made pre- 
sents agreeable to the custom of the nation, and conducted his 
interesting prize to his house. 

The spring succeeded, the trader departed for the settlements, 
leaving her at his trading house. 

The ensuing autumn she had the pleasure to see him return, 
having conceived for him the most tender attachment. Upon 
his visit the following season, she presented him with a fine 
daughter, born during his absence, which she had nursed with 
the tenderest care. 

With her infant in her arms, she daily seiated herself upon 
the bank of the river, and followed the downward course of the 
stream with her eye, to gain the earliest notice of his approach. 
Thus time passedjon the second year, the father, upon his return , 
was presented with a son, and obtained his squaw's reluctant 
consent to take their daughter with him on his return voyage 
to the country of the white people. But no sooner did he com- 
mence his journey than her maternal fondness overpowered 
her, and although she had another charge upon which to lavish 
her kindness, yet she ran crying and screaming along the bank 
of the river after the boat, tearing out her long flowing hair, 
and appearing to be almost bereft of reason. On her return 
home she gave away every thing she possessed, cut off her 
hair, went into deep mourning, and remained inconsolable- 
She would often say that she well knew that her daughter 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 217 

warn in cheerfulness, but if unsuccessful he never 
murmurs. The games of the Indian are manly and 
beautiful, and as I have before remarked, they resemble 

would be better treated than she could be at home, but she 
€ould not help regarding her own situation as if the Waconda 
had taken away her child for ever. 

-One day she was engaged with six other squaws in agricul- 
tural labors, her inRmt boy being secured to his cradle-like- 
board, which she had carefully reclined against a tree at a little 
distance ; they were discovered by a war party of Sioux, who 
rushed towards them, expecting to gratify their vengeance by 
securing their scalps. An exclamation from her companions 
directed her attention to the common enemy, and in her fright 
she precipitately fled ; but suddenly recollecting her child, she 
swifdy returned full in the fa«e of the Sioux, snatched her child 
from the tree, and turned to save its life, more precious than her 
own. She was closely pursued by one of the enemj', when she ar- 
rived at a fence which separated her from the field of the trading 
house. A moment's hesitation here would have been fatal, and ex- 
erting all her strength, she threw the child with its board as far as 
she could on the opposite side. Four of the squaws were toma- 
hawked, and the others escaped, among which was the mother, 
having succeeded in bearing off her child uninjured. 

The trader, on his arrival at the settlements, learned that his 
white or civilized wtfe had died during his absence, and after 
the usual formalities, and devoting a short time to sorrow, he 
again united himself witli another highly respectable and ami- 
able lady. The second season after, his wife accompanied him 
on his amiual voyage up the Missouri, to his trading house, the 
abode of his squaw. 

Previously to h"s arrival, however, he despatched a message 
to his dependants at the trading house, to prevent his squaw 
from ajjpearing in the presence of his wife. She was according- 
ly sent off to the village of her nation some sixty or seventy 
miles off. She could not remain long there, but soon returned 
with her little boy on her back, and accompanied by some of 
her friends, she encamped near the husband's residence. She 
sent her son to the trader, who treated him affectionately. On 
the second day the trader sent for his squaw, and requested that 
ehe would accompany her friends back to their village. 

19 



^15 DRAGOON CAMFAIGWff^ 

in many respects those practiced at the Olympic cir- 
cles, and so celebrated in the annals of Grecian histo- 
ry. They are bold, athletic, and darings and in many 

She departed vvithoot a murmur, as it is a custom among the 
Omawhaws to send away one of their wives, whilst they re- 
main for a time with a more favorite one. 

About two months afterwards the trader recalled her. Over- 
joyed at what she supposed to be her good fortune^ she lost no 
time in presentini^ herself before the husband whom she tender- 
ly loved; but great was her disappointment, when the husband 
demanded the surrender of the child, and renounced for the fu- 
ture any association with her, directing her to return to her 
people, and provide for her future well-being as best she mighte 
Overpowered by her feelings on this demand and repudiation, 
she ran from the house, and finding a eanoe on the river shore, 
she paddled over to the opposite side with her child in her arm® 
and made her escape to the forest. 

The night was cold, and attended with a fall of snow and 
hail ; reflecting upon her disconsolate condition, phe resolved to 
return again in the morning, and with the feelings of a wife 
and a mother to plead her cause before the arbiter of her fate, 
and endeavor to mitigate the cruel sentence. 

Agreeable to this determination, she once more approached 
him upon whom she believed she had claims paramount to any 
other individual. " Here is our child," said she ; " I do not 
question your fondness for him, but is he not still more dear to 
me? You say that you will keep him for yourself, and drive 
me far away from you. But no, I will remain with him, I can 
find some hole or corner in which 1 can creep and be near to 
him, and sometimes see him. If you will not give me food, 1 
will, nevertheless, remain and starve before your eyes. 

The trader then offered her a considerable present, desiring 
her at the same time to go and leave the child. But she said, 
'^ Is my child a dog, that I should sell him for merchandise 7 
You cannot drive m.e away ; you may beat me, it is true, and 
othcrv/ise abuse me, but I will still remain with you. When 
you married me, you promised to use me kindly as long as I 
should be faithful to you ; that I have been so ho one can deny. 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 219 

respects display much of agility and strength, as well 
as cunning. The young Indian may be often seen 
darting like lightning across the prairie bestride a 
wild horse, with no other equipment than a halter, and 
displaying wonderful skill in his management and 
manoBUvres. i might notice here also the hurling of 
the tomahawk, and the unerring aim with which they 
shoot their arrows, even whilst at full speed upon 
their horses. In the use of fire-arms, the Indians that 

Oars was not a marriage contracted for a season ; no, it was 
to terminate only with our live.-'. I was then a young girl, and 
might have been united to an Omawhaw chief; but I am now 
an old woman, having had two children, and what Omawhaw 
will regard me ? Is not my right paramount to that of your 
other wife ? she had not heard of me before you possessed her. 
It is true, her skin is whiter than mine, but her heart cannot be 
more pure towards you, nor her fidelity more rigid. 

" Do not take the child away from my heart; I cannot bear to 
hear it cry, and not be present to relieve it — permit me to keep 
it until spring-, when it will be able to eat, and then, if it must 
be sc, take it from ray sight, that I may part with it but once.'* 

The trader seeing her thus inflexible, told her that she might 
remain there if she pleased, but the child must be sent immedi- 
ately down to the settlements. 

The affectionate mother had thusfar sustained herself during 
the interview with the firmness of conscious virtue, and success- 
fully resisted the impulse of her feelings ; but nature now yield- 
ed, the tears coursed rapidly down her cheeks, and clasping her 
hands together, and bowing her head, she burst out into an 
agony of grief, exclaiming, " Why did the Waconda hate me 
so much as to induce me again to put my child into your power." 

The feelings of the unhappy mother were, however, soon 
relieved. Mr. Dougherty communicated the circumstances to 
Major O'Fallon, who immediately and peremptorily ordered 
the restoration of the child to its mother, and informed the tra» 
der that any further attempt on his part to wrset it from h€f 
«houW be at his peril 



220 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS^ 

are in the habit of using them, have often attained* 
great perfection. 

I might here say a word upon the subject of htera- 
ture, but in this department the Indians have but ht- 
tle to boast, their legends and traditions being gen- 
erally preserved in rude characters, upon the surface 
of rocks and trees. Their oratory is pompous, and 
upon any occasion of more than ordinary importance, 
it sometimes appears vehement and ardent ; but at the 
best it consists of but little more than the frequent 
repetition of disconnected sentences, from which, ei- 
ther to extract information or instruction, one must 
analyze with the most critical exactness. 

If aught that come from the lips of the Indians may- 
be dignified with the name of poetry, it may most fre- 
quently be heard in their moments of excitement, 
when the phrases that they utter are highly imagi- 
native and musical. Those who have been intimate- 
ly acquainted with the character and habits of this 
people, have generally remarked that the circumstan- 
ces that give rise to the most poetical exclamations 
among them are "not always of the most grave and 
serious occurrences of life, but that love in its disap- 
pointments and success, sorrow, hope, and even in- 
toxication, choose the same method of utterance." 

However, to speak of the Indians as a people, it 
would be as far from truth to ascribe to them any pe- 
culiar characteristics, as it would be to speak of the 
likes, and tastes, and motives, and feelings of all the 
white race of civilized beings under heaven in general 
terms. To ascribe to them, as a mass, magnanimity, 
wouldbe perhaps as untrue as it would be, on the other 
hand, to say that they were all savage and blood-thirsty, 
and incapable of any noble feelings. Therefore the 



5)RAG00N CAMPAIGNS. ^l 

Indians of almost every tribe differ in stature, color, 
habits and temperament, to even a greater degree than 
the whites ] so it may at once be seen how unjustly any 
epithet or specification of character must be applied to 
them as a race. 

The Indians, through superstitious notions, take no 
note of their age, and consequently no accurate ac- 
count can be given of their longevity, although they 
are in general longer lived than the whites, a fact 
which may be attributed to their temperate habits, 
wholesome food, and constant exercise. The squaw 
is commonly as rugged as the man, and performs most 
of the duties and labors that among us belong to the 
occupation of the other sox; and, even dating the most 
trying and interesting stages of her maternal state, she 
relaxes nothing from her accustomed toil, neither car- 
rying a lighter burden or making a shorter journey. 
There are many anecdotes that go to show great ge- 
neralship on the part of the Indians, as they have been 
frequently engaged in intestine broils ; but, from what 
I can discover, the mode of warfare most usual amongst 
them displays but little tact or skill, as they never at- 
tack in solid column, or in line, but in the moment of 
attack they disperse with a tremendous yell, and each 
Indian picks his enemy. 

Several years ago, a very ferocious and terrible sa- 
vage reigned as chief of the Omawhaws. One day 
his squaw displeasing him, in a violent rage he drew 
his knife and plunged it into her heart; not apparently 
caring for what he had done, he sat doggedly, and 
gazed upon the lifeless body before him ; for three 
successive days did this blood-thirsty chief, the terror 
of his tribe, remain in profound silence with his head 
buried in his hands ; cLiid during the whole time, re- 

19* 



222 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS* 

fused to have the dead body of his squaw removed 
from before him. In vain did his people petition him 
to unveil his face, but he either heard them not, or 
cared not for their entreaties : at length, after every 
remonstrance on the part of his people had failed, and 
every other means had proved ineffectual, they brought 
an infant child, and the mother gently raising the leg 
of the chief, placed the neck of the infant beneath it ; 
this appeared to awake his sensibilities. He roused 
himself from his lethargy, and after haranguing his 
people, again resumed his ordinary avocations. 

I will close these remarks upon the customs and 
economy of the Indians by again reflecting, for a mo- 
ment, upon what not only may, but upon what ought 
to be done to better their condition — upon what the 
whites owe to them, and not only to them, but to them- 
selves and to their God to do for them. That they 
are capable of being instructed in the great truths of 
the Christian religion is beyond a doubt ; that its in- 
fluence upon their minds and lives would be produc- 
tive of the happiest results is also true ; it therefore 
only remains for them to be instructed, and for us to 
provide a way for its accomplishment. Do we not 
owe it to them to bestow upon the scattered remnants 
of their people the same blessings that we enjoy ? We 
settled upon their shores, and they received us kindly: 
we were hungry, and they gave us meat ; thirsty, and 
they gave us drink. We gradually increased in num- 
bers, and they yielded territory. As we have extend- 
ed in power and strength, the Indians have receded. 
The white man now claims the soil. The Indian has 
crossed the waters of the Mississippi and the Arkan- 
saw ; still the white man's course is onward, and as 
he advances the aboriginal recedes. A few years more 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 223 

will drive the scattered remnant of their tribes into the 
Pacitic. For full two hundred years have the Indians 
been driven before the influence of civilization, and. 
how little has been done to meliorate their condition ! 
All the objections used against striving to educate and 
civihze them are, in my opinion, groundless. 

I have here only touched upon some of the more 
obvious and striking features of Indian character and 
manners. I hope upon my return to be able to give 
you many anecdotes relating to this interesting class 
of our fellow beings. 

I remain yours, &c. 



LETTER XXII. 



Montgomery'' s Point, Mississippi River, 1834. 
My dear Sir, 

You may wonder at the postmark of this letter, but 
exercise a little patience and I will unravel the mys- 
tery. I am here in waiting for conveyance to New- 
Orleans ; but the question with you is how I came 
here. I will tell you. 

A few evenings since I was somewhat indisposed, 
and retired to the log hut that had been constructed for 
the accommodation of invalids, for the purpose of being 
somewhat more retired and undergoing a little medi- 
cal regimen. This building, which had received the 
rather pompous title of " the hospital," was situated 
somewhere about midway between the camp and the 
sutler's store, consequently all who passed to and fro 



224 DRAGOON CAMPATGNS. 

had to pass by the door. As I was next evening 
seated upon the prairie a httle distance from the road, 
two or three of my comrades passed by, and with a 
significant look, wished me much joy at my good for- 
tune and passed on. Imagining that they alluded to 
the privilege of my being free from duty whilst under 
the doctor's hands, I thought nothing of the salutation, 
and resumed the train of thought that their interrup- 
tion had broken off; presently along came another 
party on their diurnal visit to the sutler's, and repeat- 
ing in substance, although not in phraseology, the 
same salutation, continued on their walk. I thanked 
them for their good wishes, and once more turned to 
my own reflections, well knowing that a sick soldier 
who has the good fortune to quarter in the hospital, is 
rather looked upon as occupying an enviable situation ; 
I again imagined that their remarks alluded to the res- 
pite from company duty that my indisposition had 
gained for me. A few moments after, along came one 
of my own troop, my friend Corporal Tim, who I 
have already introduced to you in a previous letter. 
" Hollo," said the corporal, as he came within hail, 
" shall you go through Rochester ?" 

" Go where?" I inquired, surprised at the question, 
but imagining that I had misunderstood it. 

" Through Rochester," repeated the corporal ; " but 
I'll talk to you as I come back," he continued, as he 
hurried on to the sutler's. 

That's somewhat strange, thought I. I then recol- 
lected that the corporal had relatives living in Roches- 
ter, but his term of service would expire before mine, 
and I again wondered what could be the meaning of 
the question ; but, thought I, I shall find out when he 
returns. I was again left alone, but in another minute 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 225 

along came a whole bevy of " honsiers,^^ as the Indi- 
ana boys are classically termed, each in turn, as he 
passed throwing out some dark hint which seemed to 
have a hidden interpretation beyond my ken. The 
frequency of their salutations at length annoyed me. I 
imagined that they were spoken ironically, and began 
to wonder what offence I had committed that would 
warrant my deposition from the snug quarters in the 
hospital to the somewhat less enviable precincts of the 
guard tent. I ransacked my memory, but although I 
jolted over several minor derelictions from the "rules 
and articles," still I remained in the most profound ig- 
norance of the commission of any flagrant act of diso- 
bedience that would warrant my apprehension. 

In this state of nervous impatience I remained for 
some ten or fifteen minutes, when along came another 
member of my own troop, holding a letter in his hand 
and scarce able to speak for want of breath. 

" Shall you go by the way of New-Orleans or down 
the Ohio ?" was his first inquiry. 

"What do you mean?" I asked somewhat impa- 
tiently. 

"Hav'n't you heard?" said he, with much evident 
astonishment. 

" Heard what ?" 

^' No matter," said he, apparently enjoying my ex- 
citement. 

" If you have any thing to tell me, out with it," 
cried I, " and not make a fool of me any longer." 

" Ask Washburn," said he, throwing me the letter, 
and starting off at a run toward the sutler's. 

What can all this mean, thought I, half guessing at 
the truth but not daring to cherish the idea, lest it 
should prove only a delusion. Can it be, that in a 



2?S5 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

moment when expectation least had Ufe, thiat her 
warmest desires were to be gratified, and " hope " again 
sprung into existence in a heart to which " for a sea- 
son " it had " bade farewell." Memory began to wan- 
der back through the fond remembrance of years 
gone by, whilst fancy reanimated the forms of other, 
days, and east her silken chains over a heart too apt 
to chase the phantoms of a visionary brain. 

How strange the sensation created by the alternate 
conflict of hope and fear ! one moment vivid as the 
lightning's flash, the next darker than the night of 
Egypt's desolation; now in the transport of imagination, 
one minute lighter than the thistle's down, the next, 
like an incubus, the heart falls back upon itself and 
sinks into the vortex of despondency ; now memory 
revels in the glowing imagery of the past, hope gaily 
points through the vista of a sunlit future ; but, as from 
a dream too bright to last, we wake to sober reality^ 
the gloom of which is oftentimes enhanced by the at- 
tendance of the unreal images that had for a moment 
usurped its dominion. 

Thus was it with me ; I stood, scarce willing to be- 
lieve, and still more unwilling to doubt. In this mood 
I remained for some time pondering the riddle in my 
mind, the solution within my grasp, but still fearing to 
unravel it, lest in the end I should fall from the pinna- 
cle of the airy tower that I had raised. Thus I re- 
mained till the return of Corporal Tim from the sut- 
ler's, and running half way to meet him, I demanded 
the meaning of his previous interrogatory. 

"What," said Tim, somewhat in astonishment — 
" are you really in ignorance ?" 

" Ignorant," I replied, " of any thing that could war- 
rant such an inquiry ; therefore I beg of you to tell 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 227 

me at once the meaning of these strange insinuations 
which have kept my mind in a state of continual ex- 
citement." 

" Well," said the corporal, " to relieve your mind, 
I'll tell you— you are at liberty ; I've seen your dis- 
charge." 

" Corporal," said I, " I little thought that I should be 
the first to return ; but if it is so, I shall often think 
over the days that we have spent together. 

I must own, my dear M. that I could not refrain 
from shedding tears ; not tears of joy at the prospect 
of returning to the land where all the recollections 
and enjoyments of youth are centered, but tears of 
sorrow at the thought of bidding farewell to many a 
companion whom I had learned to love, and, strange 
to say, sorrow at the idea of quitting a mode of life 
replete with trials and privations. I felt now the full 
force of the closing lines of the " Prisoner of Chilon,** 

" With spiders I had friendship made, 
" And watched them in their sullen trade ; 
" Had seen the mice at moonlight play, 
" And why should I feel less than they ? 
" We were all inmates of one place, 
" And I the monarch of each race ; 
^' Had power to kill, yet, strange to tell, 
♦• In quiet we had learned to dwell. 
'^ My ver}'' chains and I grew friends, 
"So much a long communion tends 
" To make us what Ave are — even I, 
" Regained my freedom with a sigh." 

I now ventured, despite of the doctor's injunctions, 
to walk into camp, and accordingly taking the corpo- 
ral's arm, sallied into the quarters. 

No sooner had I crossed the threshold than a volley 



S28 DiiAGooN Campaigns, 

of congratulations and inquiries saluted me ; each sol- 
dier in turn prefacing his pax voblscum with request 
that I would be the bearer of some communication or 
other to brothers, sisters, mothers, sweet-hearts, cousins 
in abundance, literally overwhelming me with ques- 
tions, to all of which I had a ready answer : at length 
the commotion subsided, and having become assured 
that my discharge had in reality received the signa- 
ture of the colonel, I commenced making immediate 
preparations for my departure. I have before remarked 
to you, that I carried in my knapsack a few volumes^ 
which were almost the only books in the regiment ; 
these, and several other articles, I distributed around 
as keepsakes among my companions, and taking off 
my military garb, put on a suit of citizen's clothing, 
which I had reserved for the purpose of a homeward 
tour, whenever such an event might take place. A 
few moments afterward, I was summoned to the cap- 
tain's tent. I had always been a favorite with the cap- 
tain, and had enjoyed many privileges, for which I 
shall ever remember him with feelings of kindness. 
I believe that I have never given you any description 
of this officer. 

Perhaps no other man in the army could assume 
the stern dignity of a commander, with a better grace 
than Captain Sumner : his appearance seemed at once 
to command respect, and throughout all grades I be- 
lieve that he enjoyed it. I shall never forget the first 
time that I ever saw him ; it was on board the Helen 
Mar, upon our journey down the Ohio River ; he sur- 
veyed me from head to foot, with one of the most 
searching glances that I ever encountered ; inquired 
my name, and what I had formerly been engaged in ; 
then turning to the orderly sergeant who stood beside 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 229 

me, he said, " Issue his clothing, and let him mess in 
Corporal Smith's squad." This now vividly recurred 
to my mind, as I entered his tent for the purpose of 
receiving his parting instructions: he extended his 
hand to me, and told me that I was now free to return 
home, if I wished to do so. I had, during my whole 
term, enjoyed much of the captain's society, havino- 
been his confidential clerk ; and had, ere this, learned 
that he was no stranger to the manners of a polished 
and refined society ; and his deportment toward me at 
this time was the more gratifying, especially in contrast 
to the rigid system of non-intercourse which must ne- 
cessarily exist for the preservation of discipline and 
good order between the oflicer and those under his 
command : but now this was gone ; the sternness of 
the commander had fled, and his conduct was such 
as at once bade me remember that I was in the pre- 
sence of an equal. 

It would be tedious to recapitulate all the substance 
of our interview, suffice it that I left the tent with a 
government draft for the amount of my pay and 
traveling fees, payable wherever Uncle Sam had 
funds. 

The last night that I spent in camp was rendered 
more pleasant by the many expressions of kindness 
which I received from my late fellow-soldiers. I went 
around from tent to tent with different feelings from 
any with which I had ever before strolled through the 
encampment, feeling that it was for the last time. 
There is a feeling embodied in that sorrowing word 
farewell, that is the same in all situations, only per- 
haps varied by the intensity of anguish occasioned by 
the pang of separation ; and I can truly say that there 
were many in the camp with whom I had contracted 

20 



330 DRAGOON CAKPAIGN&, 

the tie of friendship too strongly to break it ofi' thnji 
suddenly without the intrusion of a tear. 

Luckily a steamer arrived late in the evening at 
Fort Gibson, upon her course down the Arkansas ; ac- 
cordingly the next morning I tied up the few articles 
of clothing which I had reserved from my knapsack, 
and once more bidding adieu to my companions, took 
a last look at the encampment, and wended my way 
to the fort, having previously taken leave of my ex*, 
cellent friend, Lieutenant Burgwin, who, I assure you, 
I parted with more unwillingly than any other officer 
of the regiment. 

About noon the Galliopolis left the fort dock, and 
sailing about two miles down the Neosho, between 
the deep green canebrake on the one side, and the 
corn fields of the Creeks and Osages on the other, en- 
tered upon the broad waters of the Arkansas. I kept 
my eye fixed upon the star-spangled flag as it floated 
above the turrets of the fort, until the intervening fo- 
liage hid it from my view, and just as we were merging 
from the crystal stream of the Neosho into the muddy 
water of the Arkansas, the last notes of the dinner-call 
at the fort died upon the ear. 

As we left in the distance the encampment, with its 
bustle, its excitement, and its revelry— as the onward 
progress of our boat was hurrying us farther and far- 
ther from the scenes and forms with which I had so 
long been familiar, I began to look forward to the day 
when I should again mingle in the scenes endeared 
by early recollections, and hallowed by the fond re- 
membrance of those who had been the companions 
of my childhood and the friends of early youth. 
There is something in the anticipation of again re- 
turning to one's home after a long separation which is 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 231 

calculated to arouse in the mind the most plea- 
surable sensations, and not the least, I assure you, 
among the anticipated joys of my return, do I value 
the privilege of again meeting with those of my 
friends with whom those years of my life were spent, 
whieh may indeed be termed the spring time of exist- 
ence. But there is one thought which is painful in 
this prospect ; iiow many, whom we left behind when 
we set out upon our journey, do we part with for ever ! 
how many who were last to grasp the hand of friend- 
ship at our departure, who, alasl we find not among 
those who welcome our arrival ! As Irving has most 
feelingly and beautifully expressed it, we ask, Where 
are they ? and we are pointed to the grave. But this 
melancholy strain but ill suits me at this time; I 
would fain look upon the sunny side, and anticipate 
only enjoyment. 

The monotonous banks of the Arkansas present but 
•little to divert the mind of the traveler ; here and there 
a bluff, now and then a cabin varies the scene, but for 
the most part the deep forests of cotton wood extend 
along its borders, interspersed with patches of cane. 
We sailed quietly along during the day, passing, in the 
afternoon. Fort Smith, a station about fifty miles be- 
low Fort Gibson, and on the evening of the next day 
stopped for a few hours at the city of Little Rock. 

This little group of dwellings, which has been 
somewhat prematurely denominated by the title of a 
city, is situated upon a prominent bluff on the west 
side of the river, imbedded, as it were, in the deep fo- 
liage of the cotton wood, a species of tree much resem- 
bling our poplar, though much more diffuse in the 
distribution of its limbs. This place, which has been 
selected as the capital city of the Arkansas Territory, 
is destined, from its location and peculiar advantages, 



232 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

in common with almost all our western towns, to in- 
crease with great rapidity ; enjoying, as it does, the be- 
nefit of direct water communication with New Orleans 
in one direction, and many hundred miles up the Ar- 
kansas on the other, and surrounded by a rich and 
beautiful tract of country on either side of the river, 
it must become ere long the mart of extensive trafiic, 
when the rapidly increasing tide of emigration shall 
have extended its renovating influence over this now 
but thinly populated region. 

Continuing our sail down the river, we discovered 
but little to attract the eye during the remainder of the 
day, until, just as the sun was setting, we came within 
view of the most lovely and romantic spot upon which 
my eye ever rested. It was a little bay setting in from 
the river, under the overhanging archway of a natural 
cavern or grotto, from the ceiling of which the pendant 
tendrils of the creepers and vines formed a fringe to 
the foliage above. The variegated tints of the leaves 
and shrubbery blended the hues of green, and purple, 
and crimson, and gold. The chirping notes of the sweet 
warblers of summer echoed and re-echoed through 
the dell. The still unrippled waters lay like a marble 
pavement to this fairy grot, and reflected back the 
proudly arched necks of the pelicans as they floated 
upon its surface. 

Had the genius of romance sought a dwelling-place 
amid the solitudes of this western world, this spot 
would surely have been suited to her taste. This ru- 
ral glen would indeed have been no unfit haven for 
the immortal Nine : true, here was no towering brow 
of high Olympus, but a vale as rich as that of Tempo 
f smiled on one side, and the waters as gentle as Pe- 
naeus glided on the other. Here the clustering arbors 
of woodbine and honeysuckle formed grottoes as ro- 



DHAiGOON CAMPA1GN«. ^3S 

maniic as the bowers of Arcadia, and the deeper fo- 
liage of the cypress and the elm might vie with the 
far-famed groves of Thrace. 

Perchance one might often pass along this stream 
without observing this fairy glen, but the watchful eye 
of a romantic observer would hardly escape the view 
when gliding along the western shore toward the ga- 
thering hour of twilight. We were soon, however, 
borne out of sight, and the shades of evening gathered 
deeper and deeper over the scene. 

There was no moon, and the evening was too dark 
to allow of any observations along the banks of that 
portion of the Arkansas through which we were now 
gliding ; and there being no feature of interest on 
board our boat, we sought repose at an early hour. 

After a sail of two days more, we emerged from the 
stream of the Arkansas into the more turbid waters of 
the Mississippi, and beating for several miles against 
its powerful tide, arrived in a few hours at this place? 
which derives its name from the owner of the soil, and 
is somewhat of a noted place in this part of the coun- 
try. I have been here now two days waiting for a 
steamer bound down the river, the Galliopolis being 
destined for the Ohio, and I having determined to re- 
turn by the way of New Orleans. 

You must excuse the protracted, and perhaps unin- 
teresting details of this letter, as I have endeavored to 
extend its limits for the purpose of keeping my mind 
occupied, the more effectually to get rid of time. I feel 
like a fish out of water, and the hours drag along as 
if in mockery of my impatience. I hope soon to meet 
you. If I should write again, it will probably be from 
New Orleans : till then, adieu. 

Your friend, &c. 
20* 



234 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

LETTER XXIIL 

New-Orleans, 1834. 
My Dear Sir, 

As I get nearer and nearer towards home, I find my 
anxiety increasing : I think that, of all unpleasant sen- 
sations, impatience is the worst, the more especially 
if we have not the immediate means of gratifying it. 

I would not have troubled you with another letter, 
had I not the same excuse that I plead at the termina- 
tion of my last, that is, to make the hours pass, if pos- 
sible, more quickly, by striving to keep the powers of 
the mind in active operation. Of all places which it 
has as yet been my fortune to visit, I have met with 
none to compare with this. Here the white, the black, 
and the mulatto ; the Frenchman, the yankee, and the 
Creole, are mingled together. The sun is pouring out 
its rays to the temperature of somewhat less than boil- 
ing heat, and the musquetoes and gallinippers are so 
thick that the aerial animalculae must enjoy a tight 
squeeze ; but I find that I am anticipating my story. 

After a sojourn of five days at Montgomery Point, 
I took passage on board the steamer bound down the 
Mississippi, and to my surprise fell in with an old 
acquaintance ; but, from the alteration in his appear- 
ance since last we met, I had to ponder some minutes 
before I could recognize in the form before me the fea- 
tures of our quondam friend " Billy tSheridan,^^ as he 
is familiarly styled by the boatmen — a character, you 
may remember, with whom I fell in upon the Ohio 
River, on my journey at the commencement of my 
tour. He then composed one of the crew of the " Slow 
arid Easy,^'' and, together with " Captain Jo. Chunk," 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS, 235 

and " Ben," formed the entire propellers of that aptly- 
christened broad-horn : he had, however, soon after 
changed his quarters, and had since been boating upon 
the Mississippi. 

Of all the species of mankind existing under hea- 
ven, the western boatmen deserve a distinct and sepa- 
rate cognomen. They are a sort of amphibious ani- 
mal — kind-hearted as a Connecticut grand-mother, 
but as rough as a Rocky Mountain bear. In high- 
water they make the boat carry them, and in low wa- 
ter they are content to carry the boat — or in other 
words, they are ever ready to jump in and ease her aver 
the sand-bar, then jump on board and wait patiently 
for the next. Spending the greater portion of their time 
on the water, they scarce know how to behave on 
shore, and feel only at home upon the deck of their 
own craft, where they exercise entire sovereignty. 

This race of beings are chiefly to be met with on 
board the lumber craft and broad-horns, and differ 
materially from the steamboat hands, whom they look 
upon as sworn enemies, for having monopolized the 
waters of the Mississippi for the most part, and thereby 
wrested the business from the hands of the legitimate 
boatmen. They are a hardy and enterprising set of 
men, afraid of nothing, and, when upon their own 
deck, as proud as Lucifer himself— not much degene- 
rated since the days of Mike Fink^ who was looked 
upon as the most fool-hardy and daring of his race. 
By-the-by, a little history of this man may not be 
amiss, it may be new to you, though well known by 
every school-boy throughout the west. 

I can give you but a faint idea of the character of 
Mike myself, but it would have done your heart good 



236 DBAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

to have heard Captain Jo. Chunk tell the story of some 
of his daring exploits. 

" There ar'nt a man," said Captain Jo. " from Pitts- 
burgh to New Orleans, but what's heard of Mike Fink ; 
and there ar'nt a boatman on the river, to this day, but 
what strives to imitate him. Before them 'ere steamers 
come on the river, Mike was looked up to as a kind 
of king among the boatmen, and he sailed a little the 
prettiest craft that there was to be found about these 
'ere parts. Along through the warm summer after- 
noons, when there war'nt nothing much to do, it used 
to be the fashion among the boatman to let one hold 
up a tin cup in the stern of the boat, while another 
would knock out the bottom with a rifle ball from the 
bow ; and the one that missed had to pay a quart for 
the good of the crew. How-some-ever," continued' 
Captain Jo. "this war'nt sport enough for Mike, and he 
used to bet that he could knock the tin cup ofl" a man's 
head ; and there was one fellow fool enough to let him 
do it : this was a brother of Mike's, who was just such 
another great strapping fellow as himself, but hadn't 
as much wit in his head as Mike had in his little fin- 
ger. He was always willing to let Mike shoot the cup 
off his head, provided that he'd share the quart with 
him ; and Mike would rather give him the whole of it 
than miss the chance of displaying his skill. 

" Down there, at Smithland, behind the Cumberland 
bar," continued Captain Jo, " used to be Mike's head- 
quarters ; and one day when he had made a bet that 
he'd shoot the tin cup off from a fellow's head, he hap- 
pened to fire a little too quick, and lodged the ball in 
his brains. A man who stood a little way off and had 
an old grudge against Mike, leveled his rifle and shot 
him dead on the spot ; and this was the end of Mike 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 237 

Fink, the first boatman who dared to navigate a broad- 
horn down the falls of the Ohio." 

I was led to reflect that the daring and fool-hardy 
spirit of Mike Fink had not become extinct among the 
boatmen, when our steamer came to, for a few hours, 
at Natchez, on her way down the Mississippi. This 
city, which on the heights displays a beautiful appear- 
ance, is nevertheless more noted on the river here for 
the character of the lower town, or " Natchez under 
the hill," which the boatmen make a kind of rendez- 
vous, and is the frequent theatre of a royal row. At 
the time of our stop there, over fifty boats of different 
descriptions were lying off in the river opposite this 
place. Close to the wharf, upon the deck of a broad- 
horn, stood a fellow of powerful muscular appearance, 
and every now and then he would swing around his 
arms and throw out a challenge to any one "i^/io dared 
to come and take the rust off of him^^^ styling himself 
the " roarer j^^ and declaring that he hadn't had a fight 
in a month, and was getting lazy. 

The men standing around seemed neither disposed 
to take much notice of this fellow nor to accept his 
challenge ; and from this I imagined that he was a re- 
gular bruiser, and no one cared to oppose him. For 
some time he continued throwing out his challenge, 
and interlarding his speeches with the usual boast of 
a western bruiser, that is, that he was " half horse, half 
alligator, half steamboat, and half snapping-turtle, with 
a little dash of lightning, &c. (fee." 

Presently a little stubbed fellow came along, and 
hearing the challenger dare anyone to rub the rust oflf 
of him, stepped up, and in a dry kind of style looked up 
in his face and inquired, " Who might you be, my big 
chicken ? eh !" 

"I'm a high-pressure steamer," roared the big bully. 



238 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

"And I'm a snag," replied the litde one, as he pitch- 
ed into him, and before he had time to reflect he was 
sprawhng upon the deck. 

A general shout of applause burst from the specta- 
tors, and many now, who before had stood aloof from 
the braggadocio, jumped on board the boat and enjoyed 
the manner in which the little fellow pummeled him. 

This scrape appeared to be the signal for several 
other fights, and in the evening a general row ensued, 
which ended in the demolition of several edifices and 
the unhousing of several scores of their inmates ; 
however, during the night our boat left the town, and 
I learned nothing farther connected with this scrape. 

It is strange, however, that a man whose early hpbits 
and education must have destined him for a nobler 
sphere, as was evident in the case of " Billy Sheridan," 
should have chosen to associate himself with a set of 
men like these ; but probably this independent sort 
of life was best suited to his deranged state of mind, 
and he was undoubtedly happier than he could have 
been in the midst of the sycophantic throng in which 
he had spent his early years, and whom he heartily 
despised. I was told that he had given himself up a 
slave to rum, and that, through feelings of charity, he 
was allowed to remain on board the boat. 

I could not help thinking, in looking upon this man, 
how many votaries were bowing before the shrine of 
intemperance, and prostituting upon her altars the 
talents and energies that nature gave them for nobler 
purposes, and perhaps a more striking instance of the 
blighting effects of drunkenness may not often be met 
with than in the character of this paradox of genius 
and degradation. 

That this man was indeed the son of the celebrated 



©RAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 239 

Sheridan I know not, but so he himself affirmed^ 
and his appearance and attainments were striking 
commentaries upon the truth of his assertion. He 
recognized me the moment that I came on board the 
boat, and saluted me by the title of Lieutenant, (which 
you may remember is not the first time that I have 
been thus styled.) His usual custom upon clear nights 
is to retire, when relieved from work, to the upper deck 
of the boat, and stretching himself upon his back, 
spend the greater portion of the night in gazing at the 
stars and communing with his own imagination. One 
of his incoherent rhodomontades I one evening over- 
heard, but to attempt to narrate it would be as hope- 
less an undertaking as that of turning the tide of the 
Mississippi athwart its channel ; his mind would wan- 
der from starry realms of space down to the confines 
of dull earth with a vielocity equalled only by its own 
wild flight over the records of past years, reanimating 
the court of St. James with many a brilliant but de- 
parted form, whose spirit-stirring eloquence had left 
an indelible impress upon his memory. Then he 
would seem to wander through the solemn aisles of 
the abbey, and hold converse with the spirits of the 
departed dead; but, quicker than the ray of light darting 
through the unmeasured fields of space, would his rapid 
imagination ascend to the starry zone and pour forth, 
in broken and disconnected strains, some wild apostro- 
phe, till his exhausted frame would sink into repose. 
Journeying down the Mississippi, especially during 
the warm season of the year, the monotony of its banks 
afford scarce enough novelty to keep the active mind of 
an impatient traveller from a tedious looking forward 
toward the end of the route. We now were sailingdown 
that portion of the river which glides between that allu- 



240 Dragoon campaigns. 

vial tract extending on one shore from the neighborhood 
of Baton Rouge, and on the other from the confluence 
of the Chafaha, which is supposed to be the ancient 
bed of the Red River, and may be discerned upon the 
map in somewhere about the thirty-first degree. This 
country is denominated the Delta, and is composed of 
two strips of land which extend on either side of the 
river to the Balize, gradually becoming narrower and 
narrower until they disappear beneath the surface, 
many miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. 

Major Stoddard, who many years ago wrote a very 
able treatise upon the state of Louisiana, in speaking 
of this region of country, says that " nothing is more 
certain than that the delta has gradually arisen ouvof 
the sea, or rather that it has been formed by alluvions 
substances precipitated by the waters from the upper 
regions. It is calculated that from 1720, a period of 
eighty years, the land has advanced fifteen miles into 
the sea, and there are those who assert that it has 
advanced three miles within the memory of middle- 
aged men. The eastern part of New Spain, along the 
gulf, exhibits abundant proofs of similar advances, 
owing perhaps to the constant accumulation of sand 
by the trade winds, which is driven to the shore by 
the perpetual motion of the waves in that direction. 

It is remarkable that the banks of the river are much 
more elevated than the circumjacent country ; this is 
occasioned by a more copious deposition along the mar- 
gins than at a distance from them; they are thickly 
covered with grass, and a vast variety of ligneous 
plants, which serve to filtrate the waters in their pro- 
gress to the lowgrounds andswamps, and to contain the 
greatest proportion of the alluvions substances. Hence 
the land along the banks to a certain depth, generally 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 241 

from four hundred to seven hundred yards are excel- 
lent for tillage, while the whole country to the rear 
of them is alternately covered by lakes and impassable 
swamps. 

" The waters precipitated over the banks never re- 
turn into the same channel. Those from the west 
bank of the Mississippi find innumerable passages to the 
gulf; while those from the opposite bank fall into the 
lakes, which may be considered as arms of the sea, 
and bid fair to be reclaimed in time from the ocean. 
That the Delta has been thus reclaimed, may be infer- 
red from a variety of circumstances, particularly from 
the existence of a vast number of logs and trees at une- 
qual depths under the ground, multitudes of which are 
found beneath the level of the ocean. These are 
buried in a sub-stratum of black earth, and already be- 
gin to be decomposed and converted into fuel." 

Such is the history of the Delta as related about 
twenty-five years ago ; probably since that time the al- 
luvial has extended much farther, and more dense 
accumulations have been formed. The theory of 
Major Stoddard is undoubtedly correct concerning it. 
The muddy waters of the Mississippi, below the con- 
fluence of the Missouri, hurrying down its tide the 
turbid waters of that immense river, laden with a sedi- 
mental substance which gradually settles upon its 
banks, forming continuous strata of rich earth, and 
extending its limits every year farther and farther out 
into the ocean, literally bearing the soil of the Rocky 
Mountains upon its bosom, and depositing it at the far- 
ther extremity, to lengthen out the course of its mighty 
channel. 

This portion of the Mississippi, if not the most in- 
teresting, is at least the most cheering to the eye of the 

21 



242 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

northern traveler : here commences a beautiful range 
of plantations, which continue until we arrive at New- 
Orleans, and the waving crops of sugar-cane and 
snowy blossoms of the cotton fields, the lovely villas 
of the planters, ajid the prettily arranged out-houses, 
present a combined aspect of opulence and verdure^ 

We arrived at this place about sunset, the weather 
extremely warm and oppressive. My first inquiry 
was for the paymaster, but, to my extreme disappoint- 
ment, he was absent at Baton Rouge, and would not 
return for several days ; this made my situation ex- 
tremely awkward, as I had no money with me, and 
had depended upon my draft to pay my passage down 
the river. I was obliged to remain on board the bout 
until the return of Major Randal, who cashed my 
draft and enabled me to feel free from all responsibility. 

This city, which is now, as the world knows, the 
great mart of southern traflic, is built upon a portion 
of the Delta, or loose soil, somewhat more elevated than 
the land upon the opposite shore, about one hundred 
and ten or twelve miles from the sea, that is, allowing 
for the windings of the river. In 1720 it was com- 
menced by the French, and two years afterward be- 
came the seat of government. According to the ac- 
count given by Major Stoddard, it contained about a 
thousand houses and eight thousand inhabitants, in- 
cluding the colored population, when it fell into our 
hands. 

The account given by him, however, in 1812, will 
but little accord with the present condition of the city. 
If you will excuse it, I will trouble you with an extract 
from his work, which will furnish you with some lit- 
tle idea of the history of this city up to that date. He 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 243 

^^Six complete squares are embraced by the city. The 
fronts of these are three hundred and nineteen Eng- 
lish feet in length, and extend north, thirty-two degrees 
east, and south, thirty-two degrees west, and are int-er- 
sected by twelve streets at right angles. Each square 
is divided into twelve lots. Five of them measure sixty 
by one hundred and twenty feet. On the opposite side 
are two key lots, which measure sixty by one hundred 
and fifty feet. The streets are thirty-seven feet and a 
half in width. On the back part of the city are two 
narrow rows of buildings, converging to a point. 

" The ground plot of the city may be considered as a 
plain, inclining north-west two points west. It has a 
descent of about six feet from the bank of the river to 
the palisades in the rear of the buildings, and about 
three feet more to St. John's creek at its medium height. 
The lands in all the low country gradually descend 
from the river, and soon terminate in lakes or swamps. 

"Nearly the whole of the old houses are of wood, one 
story high, and make an ordinary appearance. The 
suburbs on the upper or north end of the city have 
been built since the fire in 1794, and contain about two 
hundred and fifteen houses, mostly composed of cy- 
press wood, and generally covered with shingles or 
clapboards. Among them is one elegant brick house 
covered with tile. Several of them are two stories 
high, and two in the same quarter three stories high. 
One of them cost eighty thousand dollars, and the rest 
from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars. They are 
plastered on the outside with white or colored mortar ; 
this, as frosts are seldom severe in the climate, lasts 
many years ; it beautifies the buildings, and preserves 
the bricks, which, from the negligence or parsimony 



244 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

of the manufacturers, are usually too soft to resist the 
weather. 

" In New-Orleans, as in all other parts of the low 
country, the houses have no cellars under ground ; 
water is generally found within two or three feet of 
the surface, especially in wet seasons. The wells rarely 
exceed fifteen feet in depfn. The water in them is 
clear, free from salt, but unpleasant to the taste. 

" The following are the public buildings ; the cathe- 
dral, the town-house, the prison, the barracks, the hos- 
pital, the convent and church, the charity hc^.pital and 
church, the government house and stores, and some 
others of inferior note, which will be cursorily men- 
tioned. 

" The cathedral stands at the head of a spacious open 
square, about four hundred feet from the river. This 
building is of brick, extending about ninety feet on the 
street, and one hundred and twenty back of it. The 
roof is covered with flat and hollow tile, supported by 
ten large brick columns, which are plastered, and af- 
ford an agreeable appearance. Each front corner has 
a tower considerably elevated, and the southerly one 
contains two small bells. This church has likewise a 
small organ, but on the whole is much less decorated 
than other catholic places of worship. It was governed 
by a bishop, two canons, one grand vicar, one parish 
priest, and four subordinate priests. Considerable 
funds in houses appertain to it. The bishop received 
an annual salary of four thousand dollars, charged on 
the revenues of some southern bishopric ; the canons 
about seven hundred and twenty dollars, and the other 
priests about three hundred and sixty dollars each, 
exclusive of casual benefits arising from marriages, 
burials, and the like. There were likewise a few ca- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGKS. S45 

puchins, and friars of the order of carmelites, who 
were paid by the crown. 

" The town-house is rather an elegant building, two 
stories high, and about ninety feet long, with an arched 
portico, both above and below, along its whole front. 
I'he upper arches are glazed, which adds much to the 
beauty of the structure. The Spaniards occupied one 
part of the ground story as a guard-house, and per- 
mitted a notary to occupy the other as an office. The 
upper story was appropriated to the use of the cabildo. 

" In the rear of the town-house, and adjoining to it, 
is the prison. Under the Spanish government it was 
a wretched receptacle of vice and misery ; like the 
grave, it received many tenants who were soon for- 
gotten by the world : some of them perished with age 
and disease, and others by the hands of assassins. 
Criminals, under sentence of death, were often kept 
immured within its walls for years, owing either tp 
the tardiness or lenity of the tribunal at the Havanna, 
without whose approval no sentence of death could 
be carried into execution. 

" The public barracks are situated at the lower end 
of the front street. They are accommodated with a 
spacious area, surrounded by a brick wall, as also an 
extensive parade-ground between them and the river. 
The buildings are of l^rick, and one story high, co- 
vered with shingles, and calculated to receive about 
fifteen hundred men. They were built by the French, 
and have a spacious arcade in front and rear. 

" The building denominated the king's hospital, is 
on the same line, but higher up. It was originally in- 
tended as a receptacle for the sick and diseased be- 
longing to the army and navy. It will accommodate 
21* 



246 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

about one hundred and fifty patients, and affords to the 
miserable a tolerable asylum. 

" The convent of the Ursuline nuns is situated on the 
upper side of the barracks, and beyond the hospital, 
which stands nearer the line of the street. This was 
likewise built by the French : it is of brick, and spa- 
cious, covered with shingles, and two stories high. 
An extensive garden is attached to it, extremely pro- 
ductive of fruit and vegetables. It will accommodate 
about fifty nuns, and from seventy to eighty young fe- 
males, who resort to it for their education. Attached 
to the convent is a small house containing three rooms, 
divided longitudinally from each other by double grat- 
ings about six inches asunder, with apertures about 
two inches square, where strangers may see and con- 
verse with the nuns and boarders on particular busi- 
ness. Near to the main building, and on the street, 
stands an old school-house, where the female children 
of the citizens appear at certain fixed hours to be gra- 
tuitously instructed in writing, reading, and arithme- 
tic. This religious institution is possessed of consi- 
derable funds. Each nun, on taking the final vow, or 
black veil, deposits fifteen hundred dollars, if she be 
able, which becomes part of the common stock, and 
cannot be alienated. The church belonging to the 
convent is small, and was the gift of a gentleman who 
died a few years ago at New-Orleans. He was in early 
life a notary, and by various speculations amassed an 
immense property, and failed at last to leave an un- 
spotted name behind him. He likewise built the ca- 
thedral church and charity hospital, and endeavored 
by acts of beneficence, near the end of his days, to 
atone for the errors of his youth. 

" The charity hospital stands on the westerly or 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 247 

back part of the city. Poor Spanish subjects, and 
sometimes strangers, (provided they paid half a dollar 
per day,) were admitted into this asylum. Those en- 
tirely destitute were admitted gratis. They had me- 
dicine, sustenance, and other aid afforded them. 

" The government house stands on the front street, 
and on the fifth square, reckoning from the upper side, 
and one hundred feet from the river. It is an ancient 
building, erected by the French, and two stories high, 
with galleries or arcades round the whole of it. The 
lower front was formerly occupied by the government- 
al secretary and the clerks of offices. This structure 
is indifferent, both as to architecture and convenience. 

" On the south-westerly part of the same square 
were the lodges and stables of the regular dragoons, 
which, with the garden belonging to the government 
house, occupy about four-fifths of the square. 

" On the corners of the second and third squares, 
lower down, are the public stores, built of brick, ex- 
tending about thirty-five feet on front street, and about 
two hundred feet on a cross street. They are one 
story high, and were built by the French. 

" On the opposite, or southerly side of the stores, is 
the artillery yard, or ordnance depot. 

" Opposite to this, on the very bank of the river, is 
the market house, which is usually furnished with 
beef, pork, some mullard and veal ; fish of several 
sorts in abundance, and cheap ; wild ducks and other 
game in season ; tame turkies, fowls, ducks, and geese ; 
and vegetables of all kinds during the whole year. 

" The Spaniards had the advantage of a free school, 
in which boys were instructed in the rudiments of 
their language. The two teachers attached to it were 
paid by the crown. 



248 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

" The grand powder magazine of the French and 
Spaniards is situated over against the government 
house, on the opposite side of the river, where a guard 
was always stationed, and generally relieved weekly. 

"During the administration of the baron Caronde- 
let, between 1791 and 1796, a ditch was extended 
round the city, of about eighteen feet in width, with 
ramparts of earth, and palisades nearly six feet high 
along the interior or inner side of them. Five large 
bastions were erected at proper distances, and likewise 
five intervening redoubts. The bastions were regu- 
larly constructed. Each of them was furnished with 
a banquette, rampart, parapet, ditch, covered way, and 
glacis. The curtains were wholly formed of palisades, 
planted at a small distance from each other, and there- 
fore not capable of much defence even against musket 
balls; they had a banquette within, and a ditch and 
glacis without. A small redoubt or ravelin was placed 
in the centre of each bastion ; and all the latter were 
of sufficient size to admit of sixteen embrasures, four 
in each face, three in each flank, and two in the gorge 
facing the city. 

" These works of defence were badly supplied with 
ordnance. Few of the bastions were furnished with 
more than four or five pieces of cannon. That on the 
east, or lower end of the city, had its full complement; 
and the covered way was likewise pretty well supplied. 
This arrangement or distribution of the ordnance was 
rather singular ; it seemed to be mounted on those 
places the most invulnerable, and the least liable to be 
attacked. An assault by way of the sea was hardly 
to be expected, especially as the river was well defend- 
ed eighteen miles below, and as a fleet, wholly unob- 
structed by land batteries, would find it extremely dif- 



DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 249 

ficult to ascend against the rapidity of the current. 
The south-west bastion, with a counterguard and tra- 
verses, and a small redoubt on the back of the river, 
constituted the whole defence on the upper side of the 
city. The first was usually supplied with ten or 
twelve, and the second with five pieces of cannon. 
Not more than ten pieces, however, could be brought 
to bear on any body of men descending the river. As 
soon as an enemy landed on the open banks, which 
was by no means difficult, the bastions became totally 
useless. A skillful officer at the head of disciplined 
troops, in any degree acquainted with the country, 
would have experienced no great trouble from these 
works, especially as they were mostly defended by 
raw militia, among whom regular duty was irksome, 
and considered as a grievance. 

" The inhabitants and others passed in and out of 
the city by means of four gates. The two next the 
river were the most considerable, and they were situ- 
ated sixteen hundred and twenty yards from each 
other. The two in the rear, or on the back part of 
the city, were of much less note ; one of them was 
placed on the road leading to lake Pontchartraine : 
They were defended by a breast-work of no great 
strength or utility. All the gates were of wood, formed 
of palisades ten or twelve feet long. They were shut 
every night at nine o'clock, and after that hour no one 
was permitted to walk the streets without leave from 
the governor ; those who transgressed this regulation 
were seized by the guards and detained till morning. 
House servants, by particular indulgence, were some- 
times allowed to pass the streets, on business for their 
masters or mistresses, till eleven o'clock. 

" Exclusive of the fire in 1794, already mentioned, 



250 DRAGOON CAMPAIGNS. 

New-Orleans suffered by a prior one in 1788, when 
about nine hundred wooden buildings of all descrip- 
tions, mostly old, were reduced to ashes. Those built 
on their ruins have contributed to the beauty of the 
city. 

".Such in some degree were the features of New- 
Orleans at the time it fell into the hands of the United 
States. Since that period it has been greatly improved ; 
population has increased, new springs are given to 
commerce, property immensely augmented in value, 
the works repaired and strengthened, and much addi- 
tional security afforded to the capital of Louisiana." 

Since 1812, however, New-Orleans has improved 
with a rapidity which would indeed have staggered 
the ideas of its primitive settlers ; its old French dwell- 
ings are to be sure more plenty than the Knickerbocker 
edifices in our own city, but still the modern buildings 
have so hemmed them in on every side, that they seem 
to stand more as monuments of the past than as dwell- 
ings of the present time ; but more of this at another 
time ; our ship sails to-morrow, and heaven grant that 
^olus may favor us with prosperous breezes to waft 
our vessel over the broad bosom of Neptune's watery 
realm. 

Excuse both the length and material of this epistle, 
and console yourself with the reflection that it is the 
last. I hope soon to meet you, till then accept the 
good wishes of 

Your obliged friend 

and humble servant. 



APPENDIX. 



EVER DEARLY BELOVED, 

BUT STILL MORE TENDERLY ENDEARED BY LONG SEPARATION^ 

The following^ Pages are inscribed. 

BY ONE WHO HAS LEARNED, BY EXPERIENCE, 
TO SYMPATHIZE WITH THE OPPRESSED : 

WHICH, 

AS A FEEBLE EXPRESSION OF FRATERNAL FEELING, 
HE WILL BE PLEASED TO ACCEPT FROM 

THE AUTHOR 



PREFACE TO THE APPENDIX. 

Having taken some pains to select from a 
large series of letters the portions which com- 
pose the foregoing pages of this work, the 
author thought it advisable to affix an appen- 
dix, in which he might throw together a few 
more items relative to the soldier's life, as well 
as a few incidents derived from communica- 
tions received by him from several of his old 
companions. Many months have glided by 
since he took leave of the youthful band to 
whom he has taken the liberty of dedicating 
this volume, but still their remembrance is 
fresh in his memory, and the hope of again 
meeting with many of them in the social walks 
of life a source of anticipated enjoyment. 

There is one sad thought that casts a 
gloom over his reflections; the grave hath 
claimed its victims. Many, alas! very many 
of those with whom he once exchanged the 



PREFACE. 



friendly salutation are no more, a soldier's 
requiem hath tolled their knell, and a soldier's 
tear moistened their ashes ; their journey 
through life was short— peace, peace to their 
souls. 



A P i» £: N D I X, 



CHAPTER L 



" Every man," according to Shakspeare, "hath biu 
siness and desires such as they are,^' and through the 
seven scenes of life's great drama plays various parts. 
The world is one great compound from which every 
man may cull his simples, a^great mart where all may 
traffic, a stage where each may fret away his hour ere 
he retires behind the curtain of life forever. 

What boots it when the clod of the valley shall press 
upon his bosom, whether his pathway had been rugged 
or smooth? What boots it whether he had been 
monarch or peasant, so that it might be said of him 

" He gave to misery all he had — a tear ; 

"He gain'd from heaven, 'twas all he wish'd — a friend !" 

Even as the waters close over the lifeless form com- 
mitted to their bosom and all again is tranquil and 
serene, so the lapse of a few short years obliterates the 
remembrance of man. The marble monument may 
transmit through a period of time the names of some 
whose dust hath mingled with their kindred earth 
within the proud inclosure of the abbey walls, but 
time shall crumble even the chiseled urn and waste 
its fragments upon the breeze. 

How true were the reflections of our countryman, 
who stood amid the splendid tombs which stud the 
solemn aisles of Westminster, and asked, " What then 

22* 



258 ' APPENDIX. 

is to insure this pile which now towers above me, 
from sharing the fate of mightier mausoleums ? The 
time must come when her guilded vaults, which now 
spring so loftily, shall lie in rubbish beneath the feet ; 
when, instead of the sound of melody and praise, the 
wind shall whistle through the broken arches, and 
the owl hoot from the shattered tower; when the 
glarish sunbeam shall break into the gloomy mansions 
of death, and the ivy twine round the fallen columns, 
and the foxglove hang its blossoms about the nameless 
urn, as if in mockery of the dead. Thus man passes 
away ; his name perishes from record and recollection ; 
his history is a tale that is told, and his very monu- 
ment becomes a ruin." 

Byron continued the same reflection, when he asked, 

" What is the end of man ? Old Egypt's king 

" Cheops, erected the first pyramid 

" And largest, thinking it was just the thing 

" To keep his memory whole, and mummery hid ; 

" But somebody or other rummaging 

" Burglariously, broke his coffin lid. 

" Let not a monument give you or me hopes, 

" Since not a pinch of dust remains of Cheops.*' 

The page of history, however, may serve to lengthen 
out the memoirs and the record of man, and snatch 
from the revolving millions of earth's sons, some few, 
whose names to transmit to posterity, and thus may the 
pen of the biographer indite a more enduring tablet 
than even the loftiest of Egypt's towering pyramids. 

How pregnant is the mind of man with a longing 
after immortality ! and how various the changes 
through which he strives to attain it ! and so sanguine 
is each votary of success, that every scribbler who sends 



APPENDIX. ' 259 

forth a volume to the world, imaoines his name em- 
balmed in the embrace of future ages. 

Early in life I had what I imagined to be a literary 
turn of mind, and even when quite young, I would pore 
over the delightful stories of the Arabian Nights, or 
the Seven Champions, and in all my rambles I de- 
lighted to keep companionship with Gulliver or 
Maunchausen, and I loved to call forth the applause 
of my school companions by copious extracts from 
these productions. The history of Sinbad was a 
great favorite with me, and the renowned achieve- 
ments of that celebrated knight, St. George, filled me 
with profound respect for that most valorous champion. 
Don duixotte, too^ formed a conspicuous part of my 
library ; and I even degenerated so far from the line of 
my studies as to admit into my little collection the 
History of Richard Turpin, and the Life and Adven- 
tures of Captain Kidd. With a profound knowledge 
of these illustrious works, it will readily be perceived 
that I had sufficient ground for my literary opinions. 
I imagined that authors of such justly admired and 
celebrated productions must be men of the most pro- 
found erudition, and moreover, that the reward of 
such labors must be little less than a kingdom. 

My resolve was made — I too would be an author. I 
would ransack other worlds and create new demons 
and deities to eclipse all that had gone before. Already 
did I see my name blazoned forth, embalmed in the 
caresses of the universe ; in my mind's eye I could see 
wealth pouring in at every avenue, and the homage 
and adoration of the world continually sounded in 
my ears. With contempt I looked upon the plodding 
tradesman, and despised the very name of traffi.c. 

One day, shortly after my resolution, I retired to my 



260 APPENDIX. 

Study, to embody [into form some marvelous idea that 
I had conceived, already impatient to see the result of 
my labor. I sat down, mended my pen — all was still, 
and I looked upon the snowy surface of the foolscap 
paper before me — I dipt my pen in the inkstand, then 
turned over the paper, and sat for a long time wonder- 
ing why I didn't commence. I wiped my pen — again 
I mended it, although I had not yet touched the pa- 
per. Again I held the weapon over the devoted sheet, 
still no traces of the ink soiled its whiteness. I threw 
down the pen, seized my hat, and angrily left the 
house. I crossed fences and walked over fields, with- 
out any knowledge of what I was doing, and my 
course was only stopped by the appearance of a rather 
formidable barrier crossing my path, and I had already 
made some progress through the waters before I re- 
collected that with every step I was leaving terra firma 
farther in the back ground. This plan that I had in- 
advertently chosen to cool my disturbed brain suc- 
ceeded. I turned, and, enfeebled by my exertion, fell 
in a reclining posture on the rich moss-covered banks 
of this beautiful stream. 'Twas indeed beautiful ; 
the water, clear as crystal, glided over a white peb- 
bled bed, and meandered through a rich grove of 
woodland. Here I reclined, and soon forgot my trou- 
bles in the sound sleep that overcame me — and my 
wakeful visions were succeeded by still more roman- 
tic dreams. I thought that I was in my study revel- 
ing in the brightest anticipations of future wealth and 
renown, when suddenly the door opened and the aged 
figure of a man beckoned me to follow him. I rose, 
obeyed the summons, and he led me to a little hill 
that appeared but a short distance, and seating him- 



APPENDIX. 261 

self, bade me follow his example, — then turning to me, 
he said, 

" Son, I am the magician Omar, and have power 
over all the spirits in the world ; I have summoned 
thee to instruct ; follow my instructions and be wise." 

I started and gazed upon him ; his long white beard 
reached almost to his knees, and a few silver locks 
were scattered over his head. 

"Speak," continued Omar, " tell me what wish is 
uppermost in thy mind, and it shall be gratified." 

" Father," cried I, " show me the wise and illus- 
trious men whose productions have astonished the 
world." 

He smote the earth, and the little hill changed into 
an enormous mountain, and the whole world lay be- 
neath it. 

" There," said he, " there is the puny world, whose 
honors and renown men covet. Look around," he 
continued, " and see in the millions of bright and 
sparkling luminaries above us, worlds like this. 

I looked, and the world was but a speck, and seemed 
but as one of the twinkling stars above us. 

" But stop," said Omar, " thou hast not yet had thy 
wish." 

Again he smote the earth, the mountain vanished, 
and we were in the midst of a great city. 

" Follow me," said the magician, and he led the way 
up a lone dark staircase, to a sorry garret. By a small 
table, with a dull twinkling lamp, that threw its feeble 
light but dimly over the dreary apartment, sat the 
wasted and enfeebled form of a solitary inmate, pen- 
sively gazing on a work before him. 

" Look," said Omar, " tell me who thou thinkest sits 
in that lone chamber." 



262 APPENDIX. 

I looked — the emaciated form sat motionless before 
me, save that his bony hand trembled as he held a 
blotted scroll before him, and seemed to be lost in the 
depth of his research. 

" That," cried I, " is the attenuated form of poverty 
or crime — one reduced to the last stage of adversity, 
and perhaps even now poring over his time-worn and 
rejected appeal to the humanity ©f the affluent" 

" Hold," cried Omar, " that man has bewildered the 
world by the profoundness of his knowledge, and shed 
a lustre over his memory by the sublimity of his in- 
tellect He is an author, and the productions of his 
pen have called forth the homage of princes." 

" Father," cried I, " dwell no longer on this dark 
and gloomy abode of knowledge ; turn to the bright 
scenes of glory, where authors revel in luxury and 
wealth." 

" Wealth," cried Omar, " satiates a thirst for know- 
ledge — luxury deadens the intellect ; men look not," 
he continued, " in the rich and fertile places of the 
earth for mines of gold and diamonds, but in the bar- 
ren and sandy desert — where vegetation finds no root. 
Men," continued Omar, "are often unknown till they 
have been long forgotten, and that glory is shed on. 
their memories that was denied to them whilst living. 
Look at that lone student, — poverty is his lot, and the 
cravings of his enfeebled appetite call forth no pity 
from those that revel in the luxury of his intellect 
Learn and be wise ; the path that leads to glory often 
leaves in abject poverty its brightest votaries." 

I looked. The magician had vanished. The stu- 
dent's lamp was flickering ; its last gleam expired, and 
I awoke- 

The sun had just set, and its last rays were gilding 



APPENBIX. 263 

the edges of the silver cloud. I rose and returned 
home ; my bright visions of wealth and glory were 
gone, — and I was contented to walk in the beaten track 
of life, and leave the rich imaginations of romance to 
minds more suited to the task. 

To this laudable resolution I remained a firm ad- 
herent for many a plodding year, while the excellent 
gentleman in whose employ I spent this juvenile por- 
tion of my life, endeavored to teach me how to dispose 
of laces and bobbins to the best possible advantage ; 
but at length the troubled spirit burst its narrow con- 
fines, the latent spark which had been lit in youthful 
days now began to kindle, and ere long burst forth 
into a blaze upon the pages of an annual. 

Again the dancing images of wealth and glory flit- 
ted before my eyes, and the remembrance of the ma- 
gician's words no longer haunted me with scenes of 
poverty ; all again became light and cheering, and 
again I resolved to become an author. The counter 
was speedily transformed into a desk, and the vender 
of merchandises became a chronicler of the sayings 
and doings in the land of Gotham ; thus, for a while, 
to practice in the nursery of the art before I blazed 
forth upon the world, transfused upon the pages of a 
ponderous tome. 

O tempora ! who can anticipate my misfortunes ? 
Who can ever forget the ravages of that worst of epi- 
demics, that swept like a withering blast over our land, 
carrying terror and death in its train ? Who that 
watched by the bedside of the dying victim, can ever 
forget his agony ! his distorted features ! his ghastly 
visage ! his convulsive gasps ! as the destroyer pierced 
his fangs into his vitals ? Who that saw towns and 
cities lifeless and deserted ; church-yards strewn with 



264 APPENDIX. 

the unburied dead that mourned over the sudden loss 
of brother ! husband ! friend ! can ever forget the 
gloom and blackness that hung like a pall upon that 
desolating season ! At such a time was the advent of 
my editorial career : ask me not the issue. 

" The engineer, 
" Who lays the last stone of the sea-built tower, 
" It cost him years and years of toil to build, 
" But in a night he see's the tempest 
" Sporting in its place, may look aghast as I did." 

'Twas then that the first bugle-note disturbed the 
ears of that youthful band whose horses hoofs have 
since clattered over the prairies and mountains of the 
west. To one unacquainted with the world, its tinsel 
has a glittering appearance. The showy trappings of 
a light dragoon mounted upon his prancing charget, 
the burnished blade of his scymetar glancing in the 
sun beams, and his drooping plume gaily fluttering 
upon the breeze, was too dazzling a sight not to cap- 
tivate the hearts of many a votary at the warlike 
shrine : but let the aspiring youth but spend a single 
month amid the monotonous and dreary duties of the 
camp ; let him wake with the bugle sounding in his 
ears, and again retire at its bidding ; let his every 
movement and duty be regulated by its sound, and it 
will soon lose much of its melody. 

For a week or two the soldier's life may appear plea- 
sant enough : every thing is new, and seems calcu- 
lated to give token of continuance of pleasure ; but a 
speedy reverse robs it of its novelty, and changes its 
excitement into gloom. 

I can now remember the first time that I ever was 
posted as a sentinel ; with a heart swelling well nigh to 



APPENDIX. 



265 



bursting with pride did I pace the sentry walk, and 
although no other duty of the soldier is more tedious, 
I cared not to be relieved from a situation so fraught 
with every ambitious feeling of the soul ; like Banquo's, 
spirits flitted before me, the vision of every hero whose 
deeds I had ever listened to ; but how changed in a 
few weeks ! none was more willing to be excused from 
the tedious and toilsome duty of a sentinel than 1 was ; 
and I was not alone in the misfortune, around me on 
every side were my companions groaning under the 
weight of their disappointments. 

Life in every situation has its sorrows, but, in addi- 
tion to its every-day cares and troubles, the soldier has 
to endure the reflection that he chose his own course, 
and his reproaches fall mostly upon himself 

I will here insert two or three extracts from letters 
that I have received from the dragoons since I left the 
army. One writes thus : 

" Winter is now over ; the snow has entirely disap- 
peared, and the ice is fast dissolving in its own ele- 
ment ; every thing begins to assume a more cheerful 
appearance ; our men are all engaged in making ex- 
tensive preparations for gardening ; every thing is 
bustle and life ; discontent now no longer openly dis- 
plays itself among the regiment, but a consciousness 
of their situation seems to show them the necessity of 
paving the way as smoothly as possible until the ful- 
fillment of their engagement gives them back their li- 
berty. But as for me, I am unchanged — the seasons 
bring no new sensations to my bosom, save that each 
in turn, as it passes, shortens my bondage. I appear to 
be shut up in a dark and gloomy cavern, with only 
one outlet, the certainty of at length arriving at which 
alone supports me amid the conflict of my feelings. I 
23 



2156 APPENDIXo^ 

know of no class of men so entirely destitute of all 
means of enjoyment as soldiers ; it is like entering a 
convent, to enlist in the service ; one dissolves all con- 
nection with the worldj its enjoyments and its pros- 
pects, and ties himself down to a line of life which 7 
whether agreeable or not, he must submit to." 

From the tenor of the above extract one may readi- 
ly imagine the state of feeling existent in a regiment 
where each individual entertains such sentiments, and 
especially in the regiment of dragoons, where a com- 
bination of young men may be found of superior caste. 

Perhaps better than I can convey them may the 
feelings of the soldier be deduced from their own 
words. The following extract is dated in May last : 

" I write in a hurry. You may think it strange that 
a soldier can be so pressed with business as not to- 
have time to write to his friends ; but it is even so. 1 
fear you may think that I have neglected you too 
long, and indeed I have longer than I should, but you 
know that / am not my own master. My business is 
so divided into days, weeks, months^ and quarters, that 
the very dread of it seems to make the time pass 
quicker than it would ; but on the other hand, reflec- 
tion, anticipation, and anxiety lengthen it. I have yet 
to see the broad Mississippi twice shrouded in ice before 
I can expect to return to my once happy home. The 
leaves have twice to wither and twice to put forth — • 
the earth to be mantled alternately with the winter's 
snow and the summer's verdure ; and the seasons, with 
all their varied changes, are each twice to reign solely 
and absolutely over earth and its creatures before I 
can feel any kindred sympathy with the world. 1 often 
ask myself, where is that energy, that ambition, that 
pridcj hope, all the feelings of joyousness that ©nee 



APPENDIX. 267 

incited me to strive for a place among the beings with 
whom I once associated ? they have withered ' Hke the 
leaves of the forest when the autumn wind hath 
blown ;' but like them, I hope, only for a season." 

But I know the ardor of youth often overleaps ad- 
monition and advice, and leads at once headlong into 
the world to learn the sweet and the bitter things of 
life by actual experience. Fain would I speak to 
«very youth upon the continent of America, and tell 
them, as they value every thing dear to them on earth. 
as they look forward to preferment and respect among 
men, and almost, might I say, happiness hereafterj 
choose any other occupation than that of a despised, 
ill-treated, self-abhorred soldier. 



CHAPTER IL 

The goTgeous twilight of a western climate began 
to gather about the valleys, though the mountain tops 
still Teflected back the last rays of the setting sun ; the 
season of harvest had gone by, and autumn, the lov- 
iiest quarter of our western year, had seared the leaves 
in the forests, and tinged the lingering verdure with 
its thousand varied huos ; chirping amid the half naked 
branches of the trees, the squirrels sported as the^r 
skipped from limb to limb, the woods were enlivened 
by the evening song of the cricket, and the fawn and 
its dam might be seen quietly grazing upon the plains 
around. The scenery of this region was bold, wild, 
and romantic J a mountain ridge extended along the 



268 APPENDIX. 

borders of an undulating prairie, skirted on the farther 
side by a grove of towering oaks : in the distance, 
gently meandering through the grass, might be seen 
a little stream which was fed by the various rivulets 
that murmured down the mountain side, dashing from 
rock to rock, and sprinkling the neighboring herbage 
with their spray. 

Such was the scene through which a small party of 
dragoons were strolling toward the Camp Des Moines, 
from a visit to the ruins of Fort Madison, the dilapi- 
dated remains of a former military station long since 
abandoned to the ravages of the elements. Around it 
may be seen a few miserable log-huts, the dwellings 
of an indolent race of half-breeds and squatters, but 
the whole scene is one wearing the inhospitable garb 
of poverty, wretchedness, and decay. The rude ham- 
lets of these miserable beings are barely sufficient to 
keep oflf the chilling blasts of the wintry winds, Avhich, 
in that dreary season of the year, whistle through the 
fissures and crevices of the walls. 

But, strange as it may seem, this region was the 
home of a little family, whose only aim seemed to be 
to promote the comfort and happiness of each other. 
It consisted of an old revolutionary soldier, his wife, 
and grand-daughter, a girl of about seventeen, who, 
though cheerful and contented, seemed but illy to ac- 
cord with the uncongenial spirits around her. High- 
minded and intelligent, graceful in form, and lovely 
in feature, she seemed indeed the guardian naiad of 
the laud. 

" And ne'er did Grecian chisel trace 
" A nymph, a naiad, or a grace, 
" Of finer form, or lovlier face." 



Living upon a stipend but scantily apportioned to 
'^heir necessities, this revolutionary pair and their love- 
ly grand-daughter had passed several years amid the 
rude scene that surroixnds the ruins of Fort Madison ] 
but content, smiling content, seemed stamped upon 
their visages. Bending under the weight of years, 
this aged pair had otit-liv^d the pleasures to be derived 
from the groveling enjoyments of time, and in the full 
assurance of a joyful acceptance, kept their eyes bent 
forward to the dawning of a brighter day beyond the 
confines of the grave. 

The sylph-like form of her upon whom all their 
earthly ties were concentred, scarce ever glided from 
before them ; but with an assiduity prompted by the 
"holiest impulses of affection she ministered to their 
happiness, and strove to render the declining hours of 
their lives unburdened with a single sorrow. She 
Was indeed an angel hoveTing over their pillow, or 
gently ministering support to their tottering steps. 
But, alas ! 'tis sad to see so lovely a flower rearing its 
tender stem alone, amid a wilderness of rank exiibe* 
tance ; for she seemed to have no more affinity to the 
tude throng around her, than ^' the lovely exotic, trans- 
planted from some eden-like clime, has with the carved 
•and gilded conservatory that rears and shelters its lux- 
uriant beauty." Still, I know not why we should in- 
dulge in sorrowful reflections. She was contented — 
she knew not the world, but she was happy in her W- 
norance — aye, far more happy than they who thread 
the devious mazes of life's giddy whirl amid its throne; 
and tumult; then why transplant the fragile flower 
from its parent soil, perchance only to wither and to 
die in a strange clime. 

There seemed a holy calm diffiised around this 
'23* 



270 APPENDIX- 

dwelling — a sacredness, rendered more joyous by the 
fearful contrast with the scene around. Let the mind 
wander for a moment to some distant spot, wild, rude, 
and inhospitable — thorns and thistles covering the 
land — decay and misery resting upon the dwellings ; 
then picture this little group to your imagination, when 
the twilight of evening had gathered over the land 
thus disposed ; the aged patriot, dressed in the long 
waistcoat and breeches of the olden time, seated in a 
rustic chair, one shoulder supported by a crutch, and 
in the other hand a huge ivory-headed cane — and op- 
posite him, his still more enfeebled partner supported 
upon a cushioned easy-chair — her hands clasped to- 
gether — her eyes now turned toward heaven — now 
resting upon the placid features of "the flower of the 
wilderness," as from the black-letter pages of a huge 
silver-clasped family Bible she read a portion with a 
tender pathos, rendered the more solemn by the reve- 
rence of her manner. When she had ended the chap- 
ter, and closed the book, the old soldier said, in a so- 
lemn tone of voice, " Let us thank God for all his mer- 
cies." They all knelt down — the young dragoons 
knelt too — O had the infidel been there, his stubborn 
knee would have bent, and his heart would have sof- 
tened as the old man poured forth his soul's most in- 
most prayer. I have heard the prayer ascend from the 
pulpit, from the social group, from the family altar, but 
never did the supplication of a mortal fall upon the 
ear more laden with the burden of the soul, than the 
tremulous thanksgiving of this aged man. For a mo- 
ment after he had pronounced the solemn amen, the 
silence was unbroken, and the tottering old man was 
the first to rise from the posture of supplication. 
The youthful party of dragoons took leave of this 



APPENDIX. 871 

happy, holy family, and wended their way along, 
through the moss-covered relics of this cluster of 
mouldering habitations, and passing the ruins of Fort 
Madison, continued their walk to the Des Moines. 

Well may it be imagined what was their thoughts 
and conversation during their homeward journey — 
the sweet simplicity of the lovely girl — the animated 
hospitality of the old soldier— the calm piety of the 
aged mother — together composed a group that remind- 
ed them of those who were dear to them at home. 

Between the fort and the encampment lay a strip of 
wood skirting from a deep forest, that extended for 
many a mile along the margin of the river. As the 
party were following the foot-path that winded amid 
the trees, they discovered, a little in advance of them, 
a group of Indians around a camp-fire preparing their 
evening meal. Upon a near approach they proved to 
be a small party of the Sac and Fox tribe, whose wig- 
wams were about six miles distant from the camp. 

Not caring to disturb the group, the dragoons were 
passing by without noticing them, when one of the 
Indians perceiving them, exclaimed, " How-ee, how- 
ee, so-ger, so-ger ! " — whereupon the dragoons ap- 
proached them, and were somewhat surprised to re- 
cognize in the speaker the well remembered features 
of Black-Hawk. To meet with this chief in his na- 
tive wilderness, and wrapped in his blanket, one would 
hardly imagine that he had ever been the lion of the 
day, amid the fashionable circles of the metropolis — 
•' the observed of all observers " in the east ; as here 
he sat with the Prophet, and a few other Indians, oc- 
cupied in preparing an evening meal. The old war- 
rior recognized in one of the dragoons the countenance 
of a friend who had shown him much kindness and 



27S A^PPENDIX. 

attention when journeying through the cities of th^ 
east, and his expressions of joy were vehement and 
almost extravagant. 

After partaking of a mouthful of the Indian fare, 
the dragoons shook hands with the party, obtaining 
the promise of a visit from them next day, and again 
journeyed toward camp. Ascending a little eminence, 
they could overlook the broad river as it hurried on 
its course, and stretch the eye over a dense wood bor^ 
dering the prairie — the moonbeams were glancing 
over the white tents, the horses quietly grazed around, 
and just as they entered within the inclosure of the 
sentry-walk the swelling notes of tattoo broke upon 
the stillness of the scene. 

The night was too pleasant to waste in sleep, and 
the return party from Fort Madison were joined by 
several more of their companions, who determined to 
hold a social sitting, and after the roll-call, adjourned 
to an elm grove, where the events of the day— the visit 
to the fort — the revolutionary pair— the lovely grand- 
daughter, and the meeting with Black-Hawk, afforded 
plenty of matter for a pleasant gossip. Among this 
company was Corporal Tim, whose fund of anecdote 
seemed as prolific as the widow's cruse. He had been 
the life of the regiment from the first enlistment, and 
his store of information seemed as fresh and plen- 
ty as ever. I never heard a man tell a story better 
than Corporal Tim could, and it may not be wondered 
at that he was called upon on the present occasion to 
enliven the party with what a sailor scruples not to 
denominate a yarn, but which the corporal always 
declared to be "real matter of fact." 

" This fact," said he, clearing his throat, " I know 
to be true, because I've heard the old gentleman tell it 



APPENDIX. 273 

more than twenty times without altering a single word. 
Down there in Kentucky," said Tim, " when the coun- 
try was all wild and unsettled, Daniel Boon began to 
feel that the state that he was living in was getting to 
be too much crowded, and so he and his brother that 
used to be called the squire, and a nigger boy, thought 
that they'd come over and take a hunt through Powell's 
Valley. You see Dan had been down there the year 
before, and had taken a terrible liking to the country 
thereabouts, because, as he used to say, there was plenty 
of elbow-room. The people down through Virginia 
and North Carolina were coming in too thick, and a 
man had not a place to breathe in. Dan was brought 
up in Culpepper county, and did nothing when a boy 
but fire at targets, until he got so that he could bring 
down a squirrel only by taking away his breath with- 
out touching him." 

Some of the party looked a little incredulous at this, 
but Tim assured them that it was a fact, which was 
enough to establish it beyond a doubt, so he went 
on again. 

" The story that I am going to tell you, is just as Dan 
used to tell it himself He said that he was hunting 
one day along side of the Cumberland mountain, and 
discovered a gap or low place in the mountain, which 
he ascended to the top, and thence he imagined he 
could see to the Ohio river. He thought in his own 
mind that it was the most beautiful country in the 
world. He returned to the camp, and informed his 
brother what he had seen, telling him that they must 
up and go across the mountain. They did so, and 
traveled on to Scragg's Creek, where the deer were so 
plenty that they soon loaded their seven horses with 
shaved skins, and he started his brother and the ser* 



^74 APPENDIX. 

vant boy back with them to North Carolina. He told 
his brother to bring back to him as many horses as 
he could get, and he would have their loads ready 
against his return. He staid and hunted there, and 
never saw the face of man for eight months to a day. 
He declared that he never enjoyed himself better in 
his life ; he had three dogs that kept his camp while 
he was hunting, and at night he would lie by his fire 
and sing every song he could think of, while the dogs 
would sit round him and give as much attention as if 
they understood every word he was saying. 

" At the end of eight months his brother and ser- 
vant boy came to him with fourteen horses. His bro- 
ther informed him, that when he got into North Caro- 
lina with his peltry, the Indians had fallen upon the 
frontiers, and that he had to go with others against 
them. Boon had the packs nearly all ready, and in a 
day or two they loaded the horses and started for 
home. They traveled the first day, and until about 
ten o'clock the next day, when he saw four Indians, 
with as many horses loaded with beaver fur. They 
were crossing each other ; aUd seeing plainly that they 
must meet, he cautioned his brother and the servant 
boy not to let the Indians have the guns out of their 
hands, for they would be sure to make an attempt to 
get them, under the pretence of wanting to examine 
them. The Indians endeavored to get their guns, but 
they would not let them get possession of them. The 
Indians then went round Dan's horses and drove them 
off with their own. Dan said he looked hard after 
them awhile, and then (not thinking it prudent to at- 
tack four men on their guard with but one man and a 
boy to back him) he put off for home. They went on 
that day and till nine or ten o'clock of the next : he 



APPENDIX. 275 

then observed fo his brother and the boy, that if they 
would stick to him he would turn about and follow 
the Indians even to their towns but he would have his 
skins and horses back. They agreed to it, and im- 
mediately pursued hard after them, and came in sight 
of them the fourth day. ' Now,' said Boon, ' we must 
trail them on till they stop to eat.' 

The Indians at length halted, hoppled their horses^ 
cooked and ate. Boon and his companions watching 
them all the while. He well knew that having eaten 
they would all lie down to sleep, except one. They 
did so, and the one who was on guard sat on a log at 
the head of the others, and Boon and his boys had to 
creep on all fours for a hundred yards, to get near 
enough to shoot. Boon then told his brother that he 
would take for his own mark the one on the log — that 
he (the brother) must aim at the one on the right, and 
the boy at the one on the left, and that when he gave 
the signal they must fire, and keep loading and shoot- 
ing, making as much noise and using as many differ- 
ent tones as they could. They fired, and he tilted his 
man over the log, but the others bore him off. The 
Indians fled, and they followed for three quarters of a 
mile, shooting and yelling ; then came back, gathered 
their own horses and those of the Indians, put on their 
packs and the packs of beaver fur, and drove them safe 
to his own house in North Carolina." 

The report of a gun, followed by a loud command 
of '• Turn out the guard !" here broke Tim's story oiF^ 
and warned the party that" something was to pay" in 
camp, and taking different routes, they cautiously slip- 
ped by the sentinels and gained the quarters unob- 
served. 

The camp by this time had become alarmed ; the 



276 APPENDIX. 

prisoners' roll was called, and one was missing. This 
fellow had contrived to slip off his handcuffs, and by- 
cutting through the back of the guard tent, watched 
the opportunity when the sentinel's back was toward 
him to give him the slip, but making somewhat of a 
rustling noise as he scampered over the dry leaves and 
brush, he failed to ehide the quick eye of the soldier 
on the second guard-post, who levelled his carbine, but 
fired without effect. This vigilant sentinel was none 
other than our quondam friend Turpin, (a sketch of 
whose character is given in another portion of this 
volume,) whose celebrity as a speculator had long ere 
this become a proverb throughout the regiment, but 
who, before this signal act of promptness, had evinced 
but few traces of either courage or decision. 

A detachment of the guard was immediately order- 
ed in pursuit of the fugitive, but returned after several 
hours search without success. The next morning 
two detachments more, each under the command of a 
lieutenant, were sent in quest of the deserter, but in 
like manner returned from a fruitless search, after 
spending three entire days in scouring the woods and 
hiding-places in every direction. Weeks passed on, 
but no tidings of the fugitive ; he had probably steered 
his course down the Mississippi and sought a retreat 
from observation and pursuit in some retired part of 
the country. 

After all, the deserter must be an unhappy being, 
however pressing the ills which drove him to the 
event. He carries with him the burden of an unquiet 
conscience, and must ever be haunted with the dread 
of apprehension. He knows the story of his wrongs 
but finds no sympathy ; for truly, in the language of 
the bard, " The thief doth fear each bush an officer." 



APPENDIX. 277 



CHAPTER III. 

Like the crusaders returning from the wars of Pa- 
lestine, and wending their way toward their native 
land after their weary pilgrimage ; turning to take a 
last look at the holy city ere they depart from it for 
ever; bending forward in fond anxiety toward the 
destined goal, still casting one long lingering look be- 
hind ; so may now be seen here and there a solitary 
dragoon, returning from his toilsome campaigns, to 
once more mingle in the scenes and with the friends 
of home and childhood, happy in his deliverance, as 
the bird rescued from the cage, or the convict liberated 
from his cell. 

Freed from the monotonous bustle of the camp, the 
world wears to him a brighter and more lovely aspect ; 
he can now revel in its enjoyments without the heavy 
clank of his chains tracking his footsteps ; no longer 
the bugle note echoes in his ear, or the harsh com- 
mand claim his pliant obedience ; he now can breathe 
free air and feel a right to mingle with his fellow-be- 
ings, and mould his pleasures to the dictates of his 
will, regardless of the tyrannical displeasure of "a lit- 
tle brief authority." 

Experience is the best, but the most severe of mas- 
ters ; if its lessons are severe, they are at all events last- 
ing ; did the pathway of life lead us ever amid its 
sweets, we would lose half of its enjoyments ; it is 
the thorny path and severer trials that makes our 
happiness the richer for the contrast. The dragoons 
have read a lesson from its pages that death only can 
obliterate. 

Liberty ! happy, thrice happy sound ! he only can 
24 



2r^ appendix:, 

taste thy sweets in full, who has drank of the bitter ettp' 
of thy bereavement I What were theenjoyments of Da- 
mocles when surrounded by the profusion of an east- 
ern court, while the glittering sword impended over 
his head hung by a single hair ? Prize liberty, ye who 
enjoy it, as the jewel of your existence } and when ye 
envy the glitter of this world's trappings, remember 
that too often it is only the gilded harness of slavery 
and oppression. 



It was on the afternoon of a lovely day toward the 
close of summer, when the approach of a new detach- 
ment was announced t& the dragoons stationed at 
Camp Jackson. There is a certain indescribable- 
feeling o-f excitement caused by the arrival of new re- 
cruits at a military station which can only be appre- 
ciated by those who have been long accustomed to look 
upon the same faces, and engage day after day in the 
same dull routine of duty. New faces often wear fa- 
miliar features^ and new companions often prove to be 
old friends } their coming always serves to enliven the 
camp^ and never fails to impart a tone of cheerfulness- 
to almost every soldier. 

The new detachment came nearer and nearer, and 
their bright blades and trappings glimmered in the 
sunbeams as they defiled over the rich green prairie 
extending eastward from the encampment. The dra- 
goons flocked from their quarters to greet their new 
companions, each eager to trace among them the fea- 
tures of some familiar face. Now the deep notes of 
the bugle rang across the plain and every minute 
shortened the space between them and the camp — 
every countenance seemed to speak some pleasurable 



API'ENDIX. 1279 

anticipation as their eyes ^eagerly sought to catch a 
•first gUmpse at the new -comers. 

In double column the detachment approached the 
scene of their new habitation, and at the word of com- 
mand, the horses, as if instinctively, obeyed at the 
<iheck of their riders, and tnartialied themselves in 
line before the encampment. Among this youthful 
■band was one whose quick eyes glanced hurriedly 
over the features of the assembled throng; his ruddy 
cheeks glowing with the freshness and energy of 
youth, and his light curling hair escaping in ringlets 
from beu'eath his forage cap. Again and again did 
his large blue e^^-es search with an eager and inqui- 
ring glance every visage in the crowd, as if he 
would read there some well known features. 

The -captain of the new troop now dashed the row- 
els in his horse's sides, and rod« furiously from one 
•ilank to the other, surveying the ranks with an appa- 
rent solicitude that they should sustain, by their de- 
portment, his reputation as a tactician ; then taking his 
station in front, he gave the command, 

" Attention t prepare to dismount. Dismount !'' 
which last command was obeyed by the troop with an 
alacrity that evinced the eagerness with v/hich they 
complied with it. 

" Lead off by the left flank !" cried the captain, and 
•each young trooper hastened to conduct his charger to 
the inelosure appropriated for their reception. 

Having performed the duties of the stable and un- 
burdened themselves of their accoutrements, the newly 
recruited dragoons began to mingle with their some- 
what more experienced companions, and many a 
hearty salutation was exchanged as friend met frien-d 
with eager joyousness. 



280 APPENDIX 

But the young blue-eyed soldier, with his curling 
locks, stopped not to listen to their friendly salutations, 
but with an anxious face that told of" hope deferred,'' 
hurriedly searched every tent throughout the en- 
campment. 

" I thought," said he to himself, " that he would 
have been the first to meet me, but in vain has my 
eye wandered over every countenance, and still I can- 
not see him — he could not have wantonly hid from 
me — ^no, no, he must have read my anxiety in my 
look. Perhaps he is sick !" continued the young sol- 
dier, as at length he had searched the last tent in vain 
to meet the embrace of a brother ! 

His eye glanced toward the hospital, and his coun- 
tenance once more became lit up with a smile of anti- 
cipation, though tinged with the tenderness of anxiety. 
Hurriedly he bent his steps toward the habitation of 
the sick — but even there he found not him he sought. 
His countenance fell — the big tear started to his eye, and 
for a moment he stood the picture of disappointed hope. 

In the anticipation of meeting with a long absent 
brother had this youthful votary at the shrine of Mars 
mingled in the revelry and hardships of the camp ; 
from one station to another had he journeyed in this 
expectation ; but still they met not each other ; he 
came but a few hours too late ; at noon that very day 
the brother whom he sought had bade farewell to his 
companions and commenced the journey of his home- 
ward route. Thus did they unconsciously avoid 
each other. Still not here did their sorrows end; the 
same disappointment that the young soldier now ex- 
perienced in not finding a brother at the camp, await- 
ed that brother upon his return to the home where he 
anticipated a like meeting. 



APPENDIX. ^81 

Ye who read these pages without appreciating the 
fullness of sorrow centered in the first moments of 
blighted anticipation — who have been cradled in the 
lap of luxury, and are strangers to disappointments 
and sorrows, traverse back with me in imagination 
through the simple detail of this narrative. Have ye 
followed beloved parents to the grave ? Have ye been 
•called to mourn over the decay of early hopes and 
blasted prospects ? Have ye struggled with the ills of 
-adversity, and become familia,r with its attendant evils ? 
If ye have, then may ye anticipate something of the feel- 
ings of a youth who had left the precincts of a home ren- 
dered alternately bright and clouded by the chequered 
pathway of life, to enter upon the dull and dreary 
duties of a soldier's life, willing to endure its hardships, 
and withstand its trials and privations, that he might 
meet with a brother, and share with him his toilsome 
and heavy hours. 

Anticipation may serve to keep up a forced excite- 
ment, which must soon become the more deeply dis- 
appointed, when, after months of fruitless search, the 
desired object eludes our grasp at the moment when 
we had fancied its attainment most certain. 

O how altered the prospect ! how blank the future! 
how lustreless every scene, that but the moment be- 
fore had glowed with buoyancy and life ! how nerve- 
less every spring of action ! how cold and callous to 
every thing around it, becomes the heart, when sunk 
under the pressure of the disappointment of a long 
cherished hope. 

Such, if indeed from this picture you may appre- 
ciate them, were the feelings of the young dragoon, 
whose large blue eyes had in vain searched amid the 
throng of the camp to rest upon the features of a bro- 
24* 



282 APPENDIX. 

ther — through their long lashes now glistened the 
tear-drop, but in a moment it was dashed aside, and 
forbidden to return — his high soul yielded but for a 
season to sorrow, then assumed its wonted tempera- 
ment — happy indeed is he, who can look upon sor- 
rows and trials with the eye of a philosopher, nor yet 
forget the tenderer sympathies of our nature. 

But time is the grand panacea for all our afflictions 
— the seasons rolled around — again the cold blast 
swept over the prairie — the broad Mississippi was 
sealed with a covering of ice, and nature betook her- 
self to repose. There is something delightful in the 
appearance of a winter in the far-off regions of the 
west — prairies — trees — mountains — cabins all covered 
with their mantle of snow — and through the cloud- 
less night the pale moon, casting her mild beams al- 
most shadowless upon the broad expanse, seems striv- 
ing to lengthen out the departing day. 

With the returning spring again came the usual 
accompaniments to the soldier's duty — new recruits 
were enlisted to fill up the many vacancies in the 
corps ; the horses were got in readiness, and all 
things about the camp put in requisition for another 
campaign. The following extract is from one of the 
dragoons : 

" I am of opinion that this summer's campaign will 
be attended with all the trials and privations of the 
last, without any of the exciting scenes that yielded 
interest to that. I would much rather remain where 
I am, than again tramp through the savage regions, 
beyond the last traces of a civilized foot-step, under 
the heat of a burning sun, over shadowless prairies, 
and all for the sake of looking at a few painted In- 
dians : to be subjected to every hardship — suffer for 



APPENDIX. 283 

Want of water, and deprived not only of all the com- 
forts, but even destitute at times of the necessaries of 
life — let him who likes, be a soldier !" 

At the end of the same letter was the following 
postscript : 

" I have broken open my letter, after having once 
sealed, to inform you of the unfortunate circumstance 
which occurred last evening. Your Byron is no more ; 
he expired, after a short illness, upon the prairie, from 
whence, this morning, his lifeless body was removed 
to the water side. He fell into the hands of Bugler 
Goodrich after your departure, and received from him 
all the kindness and attention which it would have 
been possible for you to have bestowed yourself" 

I was led to exclaim, upon reading the above post- 
script, Alas, poor Byron ! 

It would be cruel in the extreme were I to forget in 
this history to pay a due tribute of respect to thy me- 
mory, thou kindest and most amiable of horses. Yes, 
indeed, " thou partner of my toil," many a pleasant 
day have we had together ; and although the wolves of 
the prairie, and the buzzards, that oft cast an envious 
glance at thee ere thy gentle spirit fled from its ex- 
hausted frame, have fed their ravenous appetites upon 
thy flesh ; yet, Byron, will I not forget thee ; thou wast 
a faithful horse to me, and I will be thy faithful chroni- 
cler ; thy character shall not suffer at my hands ; the 
world shall hear of thee, Byron, and wherever these 
pages shall transmit the story of the trials wherein 
thou didst bear a conspicuous share of the glory, there 
shall thy name be heard. Farewell, Byron ! thou 
wast but a horse, yet thou wast the most amiable of 
thy race. 

At Jefferson Barracks, at the time of drawing our 



264 APPENDIX, 

horses by lot, I had previously fancied a dark sorrel 
that I had picked out at the pasture ground at St» 
Louis. One of my companions who stood next in line 
to me while the drawing was going on, held this horse 
by the halter, and it chanced that I had hold of the 
very one that his eye had rested upon ; and as strange 
as it may appear, every other horse and man in the 
company had been drawn except him and myself and 
our respective horses. He then drew, and my horse 
fell to his lot. I of course, being the last, had no need 
to draw, and accordingly, we agreeing to "swap," 
each got the horse that he had chosen. I named mine 
Byron, after his illustrious namesake, and bearing 
such a title, he soon became well known through the 
regiment. 



CHAPTER lY. 

Conclusion. 



ReADER) 

I know not to whom I address myself, but I will 
imagine you a father of a family— a man who has 
seen his children grow up around him and go forth 
into the world. Have you a son a soldier ? If perchance 
you have, practice resignation and hope for his return. 
If you have not, tell your sons, when they go forth, 
to shun the recruiting officer as they would avoid the 
upas tree ; tell them that his gold is dross, his promises 
lies I 



* APPENDIX. 285 

Are you a mother ? as you rock the cradle of your 
infant boy, sing to him no warhke ditty ; and when 
he shall listen to your never-to-be-forgotten admoni- 
tions, tell him never to be a soldier. 

Do I speak to a young man entering fresh upon the 
pathway of life ? learn by the experience of others, and 
heed not the visionary fables of glory at the cannon's 
mouth ; flee away from the rendezvous, for fear of be- 
ing entrapped into misery. 

But perhaps this volume may be in the hand of one, 
who, as his eye rests upon page after page of its con- 
tents, can say amen to my injunctions and advice. 
Cheer up, despairing soldier, the longest day of sorrow 
has an end. The bright sun will penetrate through 
the darkest clouds. Your season of sorrow is 
almost over ; learn a lesson from the past ; go to your 
home and your friends and tell them to profit by your 
experience. 

Have I in this volume unconsciously aroused the 
spirit of military glory in a youthful mind? If so> 
friend, alter thy determination ; rather would I blot out 
the passage with my tears than be the cause of your 
misery. Here again I warn you, enlist not, as you 
value your own happiness ; if you would not, for a term 
of years, willingly deprive yourself of liberty, enjoy- 
ment, self-respect, society, friends, the opinion of the 
world, all, all that serves to make life worth living for, 
then, I repeat it, do not enlist. 

At the time that I am now writing I have lost much 
of that bitterness of feeling that lever experienced du- 
ring my service in the army, yet I now unhesitatingly 
say, that were I reduced to the last extremity, and 
starvation stared me in the face, the army would be 
my last resort. 



286 APPENDIX. 

Perhaps throughout this volume I have spoken in 
such terms as to be misunderstood in regard to the 
scenes of pleasure and various diverting occupations 
that I was engaged in ; I would now do away every 
impression that any such recital was calculated to 
make, by stating that such scenes were " like ang^el's 
visits, few and far between," and like a drowning man 
catching at straws, one clings to them in hope of di- 
verting his mind for a season from the real wretched- 
ness of his situation. 

Of all the blessings which serve to add happiness 
to our existence, liberty is the dearest ; without it, all 
others lose their charm. The poor man, who labors 
for his daily bread, and gains an honest livelihood by 
the sweat of his brow, feels, even amid the toils and 
labors of his occupation, the satisfaction that his will 
is, at least, his own ; no task-master watches his move- 
ments, no jealous eye of little brief authority rests 
like an incubus upon his every action. Tell me, is 
not he far happier than could be the man, even though 
surrounded with all the luxuries of life, still subject 
to the nod of a tyrant ? 

If I have spoken boldly on this point, I have also 
spoken feelingly — and it lias been my hope, while 
writing these pages, that they might be the means of 
warning many an unwary youth to be on his guard, 
and take care how he gives too credent an ear to the 
artful stories of the recruiting officer. 

There is an indescribable feeling of excitement 
aroused by the martial tones of the spirit-stirring drum, 
and the swelling echoes of the bugle note, that the 
mind, once enraptured with their sound, can never en- 
tirely divest itself of — 'tis this that casts around the un- 
wary youth the first web of that enchantment, which, 



APPENDIX* 287 

like the fabled spell of the magician, lures with deli- 
cious poison^ and lures only to deceive — 'tis this thaty 
amid the tumult and horror of the battle-field, inspires 
the warrior with an ardor that prompts him to the 
scene of fiercest conflict, and endues him with a more 
than human bravery — 'tis this that melts the soul of 
the same blood-stained warrior, when, stretched upon 
his couch, he listens to the milder strains of music, 
when some fairy hand sweeps o'er the magic notes. 

I have seen the group of infant soldiers swarming 
like the gathering hive, after the discordant, but soul- 
inspiring noise of the kettle-drum — and I have seen 
the aged veteran with his hoary locks, transfixed with 
mute and breathless ecstacy at the music of the mar- 
tial band. I have seen the tawny savage of the wil- 
derness forget the elk that led him in the chase, as the 
bugle note vibrated on his ear — and the dying soldier 
seem to lengthen out his last breath, to catch the echo 
of its tones. 

O there is a thrill that music gives the soul, unlike 
the power of all other earthly things — it can rouse the 
gentlest into fury, or chain the monster with a silken 
thread. Beware then, you who may enjoy the bless- 
ings of home and friends, the comforts of the domes- 
tic circle, and the cheerful fireside — beware, I say, lest 
the tones of martial melody shall call you from ^''our 
happy liomes, to be the pliant slaves of a few favorite 
children of a privileged monopoly. 

A soldier's life is, indeed, the life of a slave : slavery 
rendered the more galling by the reflection that he ri- 
veted his own chains. The citizen can but little appre- 
ciate the feelings of a youthful mind thus trammeled^ 
made to bow in subjection to those whom he heartily 
despises — whose feelings are blunted to all the finer 



K\ 



288 APPENDIX. 

sensibilities of onr natures, and whose ears are shut 
to every consideration of pity or compassion — who are 
clothed in an authority which they know not how to 
exercise, save in gratification of a selfish and mis- 
judged pride. In speaking thus, T do not speak of all 
the officers ; no, there are some, who, despite the situa- 
tions they occupy, still retain the feelings of men, of 
husbands, and of fathers. But enough of this — 1 have 
already, I hope, said sufficient to satisfy the most am- 
bitious aspirant after military fame, that the American 
army holds out to him but slender hopes of promotion 
and glory ; and should any enlist in the service, after 
having given these pages a candid perusal, he can af- 
terward, when he would weep over his folly, blame 
only himself. 

In drawing this volume to a conclusion, many, very- 
many reflections crowd upon my mind. I can wander 
in memory back through all the scenes that are here 
recorded, and dwell fondly and delightfully upon many 
a recollection. Time has passed away — and having 
been withdrawn from the e very-day duties of the 
camp, I can now cull from the crowd of my reflec- 
tions, many upon which memory loves to pause. 

To the reader who has borne with me through these 
pages, I now must say farewell — indulging the hope 
that their perusal maybe instrumental in turning the 
feet of many an unsuspecting youth from the paths of 
military thraldom. Life is too precious and too short 
to be thrown away in empty and fruitless searches af- 
ter the bubble reputation ; and least of all should the 
young enthusiast seek it at the cannon's mouth. 

THE END. 



966 



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